Demigodwarts
by Nettlesting
Summary: Two years after the Gaea war, the Seven, minus Leo for no reason, along with Thalia, Reyna and Nico get transported to a mysterious castle to stop a nose-less tyrant, but they will NOT be protecting the "Golden Trio". After it becomes of apparent of the rise of another Dark Lord, they have to help the wizards maintain their world, or allow certain death to to many.
1. Chapter 1

**Set in HBP; no non-cannical ships (unless its plausible); and also no Solangelo.**

* * *

Percy woke up with a throbbing head. He couldn't remember the last few minutes of his life, but he was pretty sure he had fallen asleep in the Poseidon Cabin. His bones ached and his muscles hurt and he was chilled to the marrow. At first he thought he was in the forest, but quickly dismissed it. The trees here were older and taller, the canopy so thick that the moon could barely shine though. Fog swirled around him, clinging to the trees and surrounding him in a white haze. Annabeth lay next to him in a rather awkward position. She was wearing a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and jeans, as usual. Her long blonde hair curled around her face. She was still out, but definitely breathing, much to his relief. So she had been transported with him. That made him feel better. His hand slipped into his pocket, closing reassuringly around Riptide.

Percy waited for the pain to recede. He was content just to stare at Annabeth. His ADHD hands fiddled with a twig, rolling it across the ground, bending it, snapping it. He shifted over and nestled against his girlfriend. He could feel her body shivering from the cold, and he did his best to shield her, even if she wouldn't appreciate it. Questions crowded his head. Were were they? How had they not been eaten by something? Without any protection, he was likely to attract creatures from miles away, and in great hordes. He wasn't sure who would do this, with no prophecy, no forewarning, no anything, just BAM! Teleported into the middle of an odd forest he did not trust at all.

The silence was eerie, and Percy did not like it at all, like it was the calm before the storm. He wondered if it was just him and Annabeth, if whoever-it-was bothered to teleport anyone else. The headache had almost receded, surprisingly fast. How long had it been? Two minutes, three? He really didn't know. Besides him, Annabeth shifted. He turned his attention to her as her storm-gray eyes blinked open. She winced, pushing Percy away. "Percy? What- were-"

"I don't know." Percy said helplessly. He had been counting on Annabeth to supply him with information, but apparently she hadn't heard of this place either. "I woke with you besides me. I don't know anything either, except that my head hurts and I don't trust this forest and you're here so the world is a lot better."

Annabeth smiled, her face ghostly in the dim light. Ghostly and beautiful. Her eyes darted around, growing extra thunderstorm-dark as she processed her surroundings while having hundreds of other thoughts. "Do you think anyone else is here?"

Percy shrugged. "Dunno."

At that moment, a bird spiraled down from the treetops, growing into the hulking figure of Frank Zhang. Percy couldn't make out his finer features, but their was no argument. It was definitely the son of Mars. He lumbered towards them, his features becoming more and more distinct. He had black, buzz-cut hair, a rugged face, and a broad body, like a liner back. "Percy!" He said. "Annabeth. What are you guys doing here?"

"Back at you." Percy replied. He pushed himself to a sitting position, Annabeth besides him. "Is Hazel with you?"

He nodded. "Better join us. If your here, the others should be."

"Y'know what this place is? 'Cause I've never seen trees that look _this_ old before."

"We're just as clueless as you," Frank told him. "Come on. I need to check on Hazel."

He turned, and in an instant, he was a barn owl. He fluttered up towards the canopy with a hoot, flying slow enough to follow. Percy uncapped Riptide. The pen expanded into a three feet of celestial bronze, which cast a faint glow over the fog. Annabeth drew her drakon-bone sword and they hurried after barn owl Frank.

Percy felt considerably worse as they trudged after the barn owl. Even with the light if his sword, he kept tripping on roots, snagging on nettles and thorns, and whacking himself in the head with stray branches. He didn't know how long they had been walking (and in the case of Frank, flying)before they finally burst through the thicket and into a clearing with absolutely no one there, until Hazel dropped down from a tree with her spatha. Frank swooped down and changed slight early; he stumbled upon landing. "Frank! You OK?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah."

Hazel sheathed her spatha and turned to offered Percy and Annabeth a hug. "We didn't know if anyone else was here."

Annabth shrugged. "We didn't either. But if their others, we should find them first, then talk later."

Frank nodded. "We can't eave them and just chat." He turned back to an owl, hooted, and spiraled off. Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel followed behind, each with their weapons drawn.

Percy was feeling tired and hungry, but if _any_ of his friends were in danger, he had to search for them first. Next to him, Annabeth slipped her hand into his. Her warmth was comforting. Just her mere _presence_ was comforting. If Percy had to survive Tartarus by himself... well, he would have given up already. _Don't think of it._ He squeezed her had, and she squeezed back. She looked up, and Percy saw that they had lagged behind. "Come on." Annabeth said, darting ahead.

Percy was about to go after her when a voice behind him said, "Hey."

He whirled before he know what was going on, and his blade clashed with a silvery dagger. Percy stumbled back, surprised and outraged. "Thalia!"

Thalia smirked. "Hey, Percy." She looked the same as ever. Her hair was short and spiky, her eyes piercing electric blue, her build lithe but strong. She had a bow and quiver slung across her back and two daggers at her belt. A silver circlet rested on her forehead, signaling her out as the lieutenant of Artemis. A faint silvery glow enveloped her body, which was something all Hunters got. Percy hugged her as Annabeth, Hazel and Frank (still in barn owl form) joined them. "It's good to see you again." Percy said.

"And you." Thalia turned to Annabeth with a smile, and they had a quick reunion. Finally, she fixed her attention on Frank (who had turned back) and Hazel. "Who are you two?"

"Uh... Frank. And this is Hazel." Frank said.

Thalia nodded politely. She focused on Hazel, noting her stance and the way she stood close to Frank. "Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Nice to meet you." She said to both of them.

"Jason's brother," Hazel said.

Thalia smiled. "Yes."

Their conversation was interrupted by a shape hurtling down from the treetops, barreling into Thalia and knocking them both to the ground. Percy, Annabeth, Frank and Hazel rushed to help, only to realize it was Jason Grace, son of Jupiter. "Gods, Jason! What was that for?"

Thalia flipped them both so her brother ended up on the bottom. Other than the electric blue eyes, they looked completely different. Jason had blonde hair, and Thalia's features were sharper, like a hawk's. No one would have guessed that they were related. Jason smiled, pushing her off. "I don't see you often, do I?"

"It's good to see you too, brother. Were's Piper?"

Jason scrambled to his feet, while Thalia rose in one graceful motion. "Here." A new voice said, right on cue.

The figure of Piper McLean appeared out of the surrounding thicket, and gave Jason a hug. "So we're together again?" She asked, looking at the rest of them.

"Just with Thalia, yeah." Annabeth chimed in. "There may be others, though."

Another round of hasty reunions. Percy looked up at the trees. The moon was setting. He wanted to find everyone and leave this place as soon as possible, he did not trust this forest at all. Nothing had attacked them so far, and it made him uneasy. The sound of footsteps broke the silence. Percy raised Riptide, Annabeth her dragon-bone sword. Everyone else drew weapons, and Thalia nocked her bow faster than Percy could react. A skinny, pale shape appeared out of the forest, the face of Nico di Angelo. "Nico!"

Hazel darted towards him, pulling him into a hug. Nico allowed her to remain that way, then pulled away. He smiled. "Hey, Hazel."

Percy smiled. Ever since the end of the war, Nico had become friendlier, more accepting. He had permanently settled in Camp Half-Blood, though made regular visits to Jupiter. Percy was happy to see him like this. The son of Hades shot an unfriendly look towards Thalia, who held his gaze steadily. He had never really gotten over his sister's death, and still blamed the Hunters, even if he had forgiven Percy.

The group settled down to discuss, trade stories, and catch up to each other's lives. Piper was worried about Leo's absence, and Jason and Frank promised to help find him. As annoying as Leo was sometimes, Percy missed his jokes. They had always counted on him to keep the situation light. They were stuck in an unknown forest, teleported by an unknown force. They were most likely here for a reason, with means more death, loss, and battle. He would always trust the son of Hephaestus to change the mood. No one was sure of anything, and the discussion turned out to be more speculation. At least, until Thalia's head shot up, listening intently. Everyone froze, staring at the huntress and she tipped her head to one side. "Something's here. Something big."

Without further ado, she darted into the trees with relatively no sound. Frank turned into a bear and hover protectively over Hazel, who had her spat drawn. Nico had disappeared. The rest of them were instantly surrounded by horse-men. Centaurs. They had bows drawn, and all of the were pointed at the remaining demigods. They looked nothing like the Party Ponies and a little more like the Roman centaurs. They had unkept hair, wild eyes, and ragged tails. Their horse half was reasonably clean, but held debris. "They are of age," one said in a deep voice. "We will not accept intruders in our land."

"The others are foals. It is a terrible crime, slaughtering them." One argued.

"Then spare them. The rest, we have to deal with."

"Woah," Annabeth said. "We don't mean any trouble, we just got here."

"We do not recognize wizard's laws. We are an ancient race, and we have a right to our land."

"We're not wizards! We know nothing of your rules. Besides, it wasn't our choice. We got transported here. Otherwise, we would have kept out." Annabeth said.

"We mean you no harm. So perhaps you could make an exception? We won't ever trespass again." Piper added, putting charmspeak into her words.

Some looked convinced, but others did not. "Lies." One snarled. "The girl puts magic in her words. Don't listen to her."

The black centaur leading the group regarded them coldly. "Kill them."

"Wait!" Piper shouted. The centaurs froze, and Percy had to fight against the command. "We don't want to hurt you. Just let us pass, and you won't see us again." She put more power that time, and their eyes glazed.

"Let them pass." One said. Many of the others lowered their bows and started retreating, But a black one shouted at them to stand their ground. "Don't listen to her words! They betray your mind!" He turned back to them. "Your ignorance will not aid you. Kill them."

Arrows flew at them. Jason deflected them with the wind, sending the missiles back to the centaurs, and Percy charged, slicing arrows out of the air with his sword. Annabeth fought besides him, and he could tell she was trying not to kill them. Percy didn't either... they didn't seem like the monsters he was accustomed to. They were just defending their home. Frank had turned into a falcon and was swooping in and out, faster than the centaurs could hit him. Silver arrows rained down from the trees, never coming from one spot. Piper shouted in charmspeak, warning them to run. She duel-wielded celestial bronze blades. Lightning slashed through the centaur's ranks. Instead of exploding to dust, blood poured from their wounds, staining them all scarlet. Percy fought the urge to throw up. Why wasn't the celestial bronze and imperial gold working? "Retreat! Retreat!" The black centaur (who seemed to be the leader) shouted. He attempted to kick Frank the eagled out of the sky, who swerved wildly and almost crashed into a tree. Percy rolled away from the stampeding hooves, trying to keep up. Within seconds, the clearing was left in silence. Thalia dropped down from the trees, her expression grim. Nico was studying his stygian iron sword with interest. Percy suddenly realized that there were no puddles of darkness. Apparently his sword didn't work properly either. "Nico?" Annabeth called. "Can you shadow-travel us out?"

She looked slightly ruffled but unhurt but for a few nick and scratches. Nico looked up. "Sure." He said. "Everyone hold hands."

Percy found himself between Annabeth and Jason. Nico closed his eyes and concentrated. Then they collapsed into shadow. Percy had never really like shadow-traveling. It always felt odd. The air was cold and rushed by fast. Voices whispered to him all the way through. He could sense his friend's presences traveling with him. Then the darkness vanished. For a split-second, he could see a sprawling castle with numerous turrets and towers soaring into the clouds. Squares of yellow light sliced through the dark brickwork. Then an invisible force knocked him back and he landed hard on the ground. Percy suppressed a groan and forced himself up, rising with the others. He felt like he had run face-first into a wall, which he supposed he had. "You alright?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah."

Percy turned in a full circle. The forest stretched behind them, casting ominous shadows. To the East, a pale dawn rose behind a hill. "What _was_ that?" Piper asked."The forcefield, I mean."

"I don't know. But I'm guessing it's the work of a sorceress." Jason took her hand.

"We'd better leave." Hazel murmured.

"Agreed. The castle looked ominous." Annabeth said.

"I sense a lot of death," Nico offered.

"That's it." Percy said. "I'm getting out of here."

And that was when someone yelled, "Freeze!"

They did the exact opposite. They whirled around, drawing weapons. Percy attacked before he even thought of what he was doing. His opponent sidestepped and shot a jet of red light from a thin wooden stick he had been holding. It hit Percy in the chest and Riptide flew straight away from his hand, landing in the grass a few yards away. Percy didn't have time to register his shock. He shot another bolt and he rolled under it, backing away. Jason charged and Frank morphed into a dragon. He spread his massive gray wings and lunged at the man. He picked his stick and yelled, "OI! NEED SOME REINFORCEMENTS!" His voice boomed across the hill.

The man turned and fled with a dragon flying after him. Jason darted into the air. Percy found Riptide back in his pocket, and he drew it. Thunder boomed and clouds gathered around the man, who for some reason hadn't changed into his true form. Lightning split the sky and a forcefield flicked around him. The bolt stuck and his shield absorbed it. He then disappeared with a _crack_ and reappeared further ahead. "Behind!" Someone shouted. Percy looked back and cursed. Six more were rapidly approaching, shooting multi-colored bolts. Frank had turned into an elephant, and one the reinforcements yelled "Animagus!" and shot a net out of his wand, binding the pachyderm's feet. Percy had Riptide drawn and was advancing, deflecting a jet of light with his sword with Annabeth at his side. Hazel ran towards Frank, her spatha in hand. Piper shouted in charmspeak, but they were harder to manipulate than the centaurs. Jason darted back and forth through the air while his sister shot silvery arrows. When that didn't work, she traded range for melee and drew a dagger while her Aegis spiraled out from her other hand.

Hazel was now lying in a heap close to a now Frank-free net, with Frank now back as a dragon. Three of the reinforcements were now battling the stony-scaled dragon, jets of light exploding and bouncing off his diamond-hard scales. The other three were in combat with Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Thalia, Piper and Nico, who was brandishing his black sword. They were being slowly pushed into a tight circle as the bolts kept flashing inches away from them. Thalia struck several times with lightning; most of her hits missed or were absorbed, but it kept their attention. Ropes whirled past them. Thalia dodged, but Piper wasn't so lucky. She fell to the ground tightly bound in ropes. Jason yelled and swooped down, hacking at her ropes while Thalia guarded them.

Even more reinforcements came, drawn by the noise of the battle. Five down, even more to go. The cement-gray dragon had fallen with a crash, and about five monsters around him shooting red light. The number of bolts was now overwhelmingly large. Jason had crumpled to the ground after he had been hit in the chest by a red bolt, followed by Annabeth, who had been tripped by an invisible tripwire and was now a harmless iguana. Percy roared in raged and fought with renewed strength, his sword biting into one's leg. He fell with an odd noise. A bolt hurtled towards his face and he sidestepped, finding himself besides Nico di Angelo. He looked tired from the shadow-travel and was having trouble keeping up. They stood back-to-back, deflecting bolts and dodging others when Nico suddenly crumpled with a gasp. Percy whirled and attempted to help him up when something hit him in the back, knocking him out cold.

* * *

 **Attention! This isn't the only story we've written. Others are called Past Circe's attendant, with 7 chapters, and Expedition Tartarus (Currently discontinued because of this one) with 3. If you enjoyed this one, you can try the others. Peace Out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**HI. Thanks for the reviews and favorites, all seven of you.**

 **IcyFox17, patience, please.**

 **Amaiiko-chan, I do in fact know the definition of that. I don't know why you asked, but for this story, I** **intended Nico to be like that.**

* * *

 **Percy**

Percy preferred the first time he woke up. He opened his eyes and saw he was in an airy room with the glow of the dawn sun illuminating a throne-like chair, a desk with an ink pot with a scarlet quill perched in it. On the other side of the room, a swan-sized scarlet bird birched on a stand, staring at him with beady eyes. Jason and Frank were lined to his left, still out. To his right were Nico, Annabeth, Hazel, Piper, and, already awake, Thalia. They were all bound, but not so tight that it hurt. He stood facing an ancient looking man with half-moon spectacles, with bright blue eyes behind them, a waist length beard and a crooked nose. Percy noticed his black, dead looking hand, but the man shook his sleeve up, covering it. Beside him stood a rigid woman with thin lips and a severe expression, and a sallow-faced man with a curtain of greasy hair. The old man spoke.

"Ah, your awake. Good, good".

"Who are you? And were are we?" Percy asked.

"Forgive my rudeness. I am-"

"Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and Professor Mcgonagall. And this is 'Hogwarts'." Thalia interrupted, glaring at them with mistrust. "Apparently, they claim they are not monsters."

The man named Dumbledore smiled. "Your companion is quite... difficult. We were hoping you would be more obliging to tell us about yourself. I am headmaster at Hogwarts, Minerva is the transfiguration teacher, and Severus is our Potions Master. I can assure you that you are quite safe here at Hogwarts."

"What is Hogwarts exactly?" Percy asked.

"Oh, getting ahead of myself. This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A school of magic."

"What sort of _magic_ are we talking about? Are you children of Hecate?"

"No." Thalia supplied. "They don't use the Mist. And they have absolutely no idea who Hecate is."

"I can give you an example," Dumbledore said. He snapped his fingers and the scarlet quill jumped onto a piece of yellowed parchment and began write: _Basic Magic for Beginners_. He then drew a long, thin stick of wood, tapped the quill and produced a scarlet feather identical to the original one. He handed it to Percy, who ran it along his hand. "It's real?" He asked.

"An exact duplicate."

Before Percy could ask any more questions, Grease-Hair stepped up. "May I ask why you carry such weapons?" He said, pointing to a pile of confiscated swords. His tone was all: _You-have-to-answer-or-I-will-blast-you-to-pieces_. Percy decided he did not like him.

"None of your business," Thalia snapped.

Snape narrowed his eyes. "No one speaks to me like that."

Thalia held his gaze without flinching. " _You_ will learn not to try and order me around." She retorted.

Dumbledore stepped in before a fully-fledged fight could rise. "Severus, we must make our guests feel welcome. You know they mean no harm."

Snape curled his lips in disgust. He glared at Thalia with a look that said, _This isn't over_. The Hunter's eyes held a gleam of challenge. "Now, can you give us your story about the disturbance that happened at Six O'clock in the morning?" The woman, Mcgonny (was that her name?), who had been silent so far, now spoke. Her voice was crisp and stern.

Percy began to speak, but Thalia broke in. "We have a few talents of our own, which you do not need to know about."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Thalia, they've been welcoming so far. Why don't you just _trust_ them?"

"Because this is entirely new."

"Were do you two live?" Mcgonny asked.

"Long Island Sound, but we're never anywhere without a reason." Percy said. "I say we stay until we find trouble."

"I say we go back." Thalia grumbled.

"I say we wait for the others to wake up, then have a vote."

Thalia glared at him; they never exactly got along for this reason: each tries to stay in command, and they attempt kill each other when one contradicts. "Fine." She muttered irritably.

Apparently deciding to trust them, Dumbledore set them free, with much protest from Snape. On the headmaster's command, Grease-Hair walked up to the others and pointed his wand at them, before he was interrupted by Thalia, who had jumped to her feet at once, and launched herself at Snape, tackling him. Snape slashed his wand and Thalia was thrown off and onto the ground. She flipped around pushed up faster than Snape could recover, but not before a forcefield shot stood glaring at each other. "Don't you dare touch my friends." Thalia snarled. Her eyes blazed, and Snape raised his stick defensively.

"I was only reviving them." Snape spat. "There is a counter spell."

"Yeah, like we're going to believe that." she retorted.

"Severus, please!" Dumbledore interrupted. "Calm down. I think we can come to a compromise." He turned to the demigods."You may have your weapons back," he said, "And I will give you my permission to defend your friends in case Professor Snape does indeed attack your them."

"Agreed." Percy said.

Thalia glared at him. "Who said you would make the decision, Kelp-Face?"

"Who said _you_ would? And don't call me _Kelp-Face_."

"Perseus Jackson!"

"Nobody appointed a leader here. You can't say what I can and can't do!"

"Stop it, you two!" Mcgonny interrupted. Her eyes were positively hawk-like, and her eyebrows were a centimeter away from becoming a unibrow. She drew her stick, and said _"Rennervate!"_

Instantly, his friends began to stir with various degrees of violence. Annabeth, Jason, and Nico seemed to be fighting their bindings before they were fully awake. Hazel and Piper were much calmer about it, and Frank, for some reason, turned into a terrier.

It took a long time to explain everything. Percy had to calm everyone down, because as soon as they processed their surroundings, they began scrambling to their feet and reaching for weapons that weren't there. Together, they were tested for magic. No one before had any trace of power. When it got to Percy's turn, he got the old man Dumbledore's. He said: "Just hold the wand and say _"Lumos!"_

Feeling especially stupid, Percy waved the wand and muttered " _Lumos!"_ The wand sparked feebly.

No one else had magic. The wands made weird reactions to Hazel and Thalia, probably because they could manipulate the Mist. Mcgonny's wand even made a sharp _bang_ and a scorch mark on Frank's shirt when he tried. But, in the end, the professors concluded that they had no magic that could be trained. "They can clearly see the castle, and yet they cannot produce magic. Do you have any explanation, Headmaster?" Mcgonny inquired.

Dumbledore shook his head. "It is curious." He agreed. There was a pause. He finally looked up, scanning their faces with ice-blue eyes. "We can offer rooms for you to stay in, if you want to stay, of course."

There was little debate about that matter. They were never anywhere without reason. And plus, many of them were curious of Hogwarts. Dumbledore explained the four houses, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Percy whent with Gryffindor immediately. Though Annabeth would have done fine in Ravenclaw, but neither wanted to get separated from the other. Jason, Piper, and Thalia chose to join them; Frank and Hazel chose Hufflepuff; and Nico was indifferent. He decided on Slytherin.

"You will find your rooms in your respective houses. I have already ordered food and clothing to be brought up. The patronuses will lead you to your houses."

Dumbledore shot clouds of silver mist out of his wand, and they took the shape of what looked to be a bird, though it was hard to tell. Mcgonny shot out a cat, and Snape a doe. The last one surprised Percy; he was expecting something nasty, since he had a nasty personality.

"The one on the left leads to Gryffindor," Dumbledore said. "The middle one to Hufflepuff, and left to Slytherin."

None of them were very eager to follow the... _things._ Hazel and Frank whent first, picking up their weapons and chasing after the silver cat, but the rest didn't move. The bird and doe had left without them. "Come on." Piper said. We'll lose them.

"Not sure I want to go out." Thalia said.

But they did, eventually. Jason turned towards his weapons, picked out his sword, and walked to the door. The rest followed. They got out just in time to see the tail of the bird whisk out of sight.

Getting around the castle was _hard_. Parts of it seemed to want you _not_ to get to your destination on time, or at all. First of all, the great, marble staircase could move at its own will, trick steps appeared every so often, making your feet stick into them like they were quicksand, and there were paintings that pretended to be doors and hallways, and some needed you to do _special_ services to them for them to open up. A ghost thing that roamed the castle also learned faster than any human in the castle that there were new visitors in the school, and decided to treat them to a shower of chalk and a back massage with a knobby cane. Jason deflected the chalk and Thalia shot an arrow right in his forehead, encouraging him to leave. Then there was the gawking. The castle seemed to be full wherever they went. People in black robes stopped to stare. Whisper to their friends. Giggle over Jason and Percy.

The Gryffindor common room was situated at the top of one of the many towers. The stairs and corridors felt endless, but at last, they reached their destination. The great, wonderful, fabulous... painting. Inside was a fat lady in a pink, frilly dress. "Password?" she asked.

" _Quid Agis."_ The bird said in Dumbledore's voice before Percy could say anything. Looking rather disappointed, the portrait swung open to reveal doorway. Percy went through first, followed by Annabeth, Jason, Piper, and Thalia. The common room was large, round, and comfortable. Everything was crimson embroidered with gold, from the carpet to the curtains. A fire cackled cheerfully in its fireplace. Chairs and tables lay haphazardly around the room, piled with books, quills, parchment, and candy wrappers. Two doors were situated on opposite sides. Annabeth was muttering under her breath, staring at the architecture. The portrait opened behind them, and they whirled to see two student-a boy and a girl-step through. One was tall, gangly, and overloaded with freckles. He had bright red hair and was holding a stack of toast. His companion had bushy, light brown hair, and was about a head shorter than the red-haired boy. Their eyes instantly locked onto the demigods. "Are you guys the newcomers? The ones Dumbledore told us about?" The boy asked.

"Er, yeah..." Percy had no idea what to say. Thankfully, Annabeth saved him.

"Who are you two?" She asked.

"Ron Weasley."

"Hermione Granger. We're prefects. Dumbledore said we are to assist you in any way possible, so why don't we start wth your names?" She sounded a little like Annabeth, in a way.

"Percy Jackson."

"Annabeth Chase."

"Jason Grace."

"Piper Mclean."

"Thalia."

"No last name?" Ron asked.

"None of your business."

Percy smiled. "Thalia's always been touchy with that subject. She never got along with her mom. It's Grace."

Thalia shot him a death glare, then turned back to them. " _His_ name is actually Perseus Jackson."

"Hey! I didn't mean anything by it!" Percy protested.

"Shut up, you two!" Annabeth cut in.

"So you're Jason's brother?" Hermione asked, nodding at the son of Jupiter.

"Yeah." Piper said.

"So where exactly are we, and what year is this?" Percy asked.

"You're somewhere in Scotland, hard to tell where." The girl named Hermione answered, "And it's 1996."

"1996!? I wasn't even born in that time!"

"Then where are you from?" Ron asked.

"We're from Long Island. And last I checked it was 2016." Annabeth said.

"I'm not." Thalia muttered.

Percy turned to her. "What do you mean, you're not from 2000s? You aren't _that_ old."

"I mean I'm not from Long Island, Seaweed-Brain!"

"Then were are you from?" Hermione inquired.

"No-where. I... move. A lot."

"What do you mean, you move a lot?" Ron asked nosily.

"We have to get moving." Annabeth cut in.

"You do seem pretty tired," Hermione agreed. "Call us when you need. We'll give you a tour after lunch."

That broke it up. They directed the boys and girls to their dormitories. Jason pulled open the door to reveal a staircase leading to various door, each labeled First Pear all the way to seventh. At the very top was a door with the plaque: guest room. Percy frowned. "First Pear?"

Jason laughed. "First _Year,_ Percy."

"Oh." Sometimes, he hated his dyslexia.

The guest room was pretty nice. It had two crimson four-poster bed and a pair of cabinets, each with a candle in a stand. A tall window overlooked part of a lake and what he assumed to be Hogwarts grounds. On the windowsill was a silver water jug. In a corner sat a table already filled with food and some sort of orange colored drink. Four chairs surrounded it. Percy suddenly realized how hungry he was. He rushed over, sat down, and stared devouring the food. He could hardly remember _what_ he ate, but whatever it was, it was good. The drink turned out to be iced pumpkin juice. When he ate his fill, he staggered to one of the beds, collapsed in it, and fell asleep instantly. And he had no dreams.

* * *

 **Whaddia think? Good? Bad? Let me know. I need fuel to write the next chapter. And how did we do imitating Dumbledore? He is quite difficult to forge.**

 **P.S If you have anything to say, I'm here.**

 **P.P.S criticize our writing if you must, but don't be rude, because then I'll magically miss it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**IcyFox17, thanks again. It helps** **a lot. My cat** **does _not_ get along well with dogs. He chases them.**

 **Guest, whoever you are, thanks for the support.**

 **Keep reviewing! You guys are awesome.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Nico**

Nico leaned against the wall of Gryffindor Common Room, waiting for Percy to come down. Annabeth had gone up to wake him, while the rest of them remained downstairs. He was aware of the gawking, and it reminded him of the first Great Prophecy, when Kronos threatened to rise. Everyone at camp stared at the Son of Hades. The oddball. The child of the Underworld. The one with the freaky powers. He lifted his head to stare them back, and they averted their eyes, suddenly becoming interested in whatever was before them. At least he wasn't the only one being stared at. He could see a group of girls clustered together, gossiping and stealing glances at Jason. Percy received the same treatment. Boys eyed Piper like she was some sort of trophy, but she promptly ignored them. Her boyfriend stood protectively behind her. Thalia was giving everyone a _keep-your-distence_ look, silently warning them not to mess with her.

Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Frank, and Hazel all wore school robes, but Nico and Thalia stubbornly stuck to their own. The uniform _was_ black, but he didn't want to go around trying not to trip. "What's _taking_ so long?" Hazel murmured.

"Dunno." Frank said.

Right on cue, the boy's dormitories door swung opened to reveal a very uncomfortable Percy. His robes were creased in every manner, and he he wore neither hat or tie, like the rest of them. Annabeth trailed after him with an amused expression. "Finally." Jason muttered.

Hermione looked up from one of the chairs. "Oh, good. Your awake. We're just waiting for...Harry to join us." She sounded like she was expecting something from them. Everyone stared blankly at her, until Ron broke the silence.

"Oh, come on! Harry Potter! The Boy who Lived! Don't tell me you don't know him!"

Everybody still looked confused. "Er...no." Piper said. "Should we have?"

Ron started to speak, but Hermione broke in.

"Have you even heard of You-Know-Who?"

Thalia snorted. " _You-Know-Who_? What sort of name is _You-Know-Who?"_

"And we _don't_ know who You-Know-Who is, so perhaps it should be _'We-Don't-Know-Who'._ Percy added. "Could you explain, please?"

"Voldemort." Said a voice behind them.

They whirled. " _That's_ Harry Potter." Said Hermione's voice. Harry Potter looked most unimpressive. He was a bit like Percy, with ruffled black hair and emerald green eyes, but the similarities ended there. Harry was slightly shorter, thinner, and with a pair of round glasses and a faint scar like a lightning bolt on his forehead.

"You're looking at the only known person to survive the killing curse." Ron told them this like he had been saying this for years.

"So who again is _Voldy?"_ Percy asked, seeking to continue their discussion.

The three stared at each other like they couldn't find an answer. "Um...we'll tell you later." Hermione said. "Lets go get Breakfast."

So they followed the trio down to the Great Hall. Nico lingered at the back of the group, a little way from the rest of them, staring at anyone who paused to gawk. He didn't wan't to leave his room in the first place, all the attention made him uncomfortable. At the very front, Hermione, Ron, and Harry were talking amongst themselves, just out of ear-shot even for the ones at the front of the group. He had a feeling they were talking about the demigods. Nico felt someone watching watching him and turned just in time to see a ghost slip into a wall. So they _were_ following him. For the past day, he had been seeing specters everywhere, watching him with keen interest. Perhaps they sensed his connection with the Underworld. Maybe they knew of his affinity with the dead. Whatever it was, they seemed to find him a curiosity. "Come out from the wall." He said, aware of everyone turning to stare. There was a pause before a medieval-looking ghost popped out. He was wearing a ruff higher than any Nico had ever seen, a red suit that was fashionable around five centuries ago, and a pair of breeches. He was unlike any ghost Nico had ever seen. The look of embarrassment was clear on his face. "Nearly-Headless Nick." Harry greeted.

Hazel winced. " _Nearly-Headless Nick_?"

The ghost huffed. "I would _prefer_ to be call Sir Nicholas, you know."

"Then why are you called _Nearly-_ _Headless_ Nick?" Jason asked.

Nick frowned. "Because of _this._ " He reached up and grabbed one ear, yanking his head. It fell with nothing connecting it to the rest of the body but one thin strand of sinew. Piper let out a horrified noise. Nico took a step back, his hand grasping the hilt of his sword. "Beheaded. Ghosts are bound to the place were they died. Which means his execution was carried out..."

"Right in this castle." Annabeth finished, a look of alarm on her face.

The demigods stepped together in an instant, each one of them glaring at the the students and the ghost with mistrust. "What have we walked into?" Hazel asked, horrified.

"I _knew_ there was something wrong with this place." Thalia hissed. Her daggers were raised in a defensive position. Some of the spectators had drawn their wands, not quite gawking at them anymore. Thalia glared at them with fierce eyes, and many of them fluttered nervously, not quite sure what to do.

" _Excuse me,_ but I was _not_ beheaded at the castle! Hogwarts was a school _long_ before I was alive! They wouldn't decapitate people in this place!" Nick drifted right through Hermione, who winced. He disappeared into the wall once again, muttering something about people these days having no common logic. Percy capped Riptide, but remained alert; and Thalia didn't sheath her daggers. The crowd remained there until Hermione shooed them away, telling them to put away their wands. Reluctantly, they hustled away, eyeing the demigods with interest and a certain level of wariness.

None of them really wanted to follow the trio, but they had no choice. They descended down the marble staircase and past the entrance hall, they came into the vast, cavernous Great Hall. It was big enough fit the Big House back at Camp. There were four tables, no doubt for the four houses, and at the very front was a high table with all the teachers assembled behind it. Nico sat down quietly next to Hazel. The table in front of him was piled high with toast, bacon, eggs, sausages, bottles of jam, jugs of milk and coffee, and for some reason, fried fish. Percy collapsed onto the stool next to Annabeth and loaded his plate with everything but the fish and started devouring his breakfast. Annabeth prodded the toast suspiciously, but deemed it edible. Frank piled on bacon and toast and started eating. Hazel tried out some of the fish, Piper tasted a little of everything but the meat, and Jason was eating just as much as Percy. Thalia rolled her eyes at the rest of them, refusing to eat anything and merely took to warding off boys. When Percy paused for a second, a ketchup mustache was plastered on his face and he had crumbs and spots of jam all over his face. He said, "It's not pizza, but it's good." and resumed his breakfast.

Annabeth seized a napkin. "For god's sake, Percy, use a napkin!"

"You really should." Piper agreed. "You look like a food bomb had exploded in your face."

Nico allowed himself a small smile. Sometimes, Percy seemed more juvenile than he was. He turned to select his own egg when a gray-eyed boy in Slythrin robes appeared behind him, followed by two brutish cronies. Nico turned. "Draco Malfoy." He greeted coolly.

"Nico di Angelo." He drawled. "You should join us at the Slytherin table. After all, that's the house you chose, right?" He raised his voice. "You really don't want to be hanging out with _them._ That red-head over there? His family is so poor they can't even afford the school books. Everything he has is second-handed and-"

"OI!" Ron yelled and jumped to his feet, his wand drawn.

"No, Ron!" Hermione said, grasping the collar of his shirt in an effort to restrain him. Thalia nocked, aimed, and fired before Draco could react. Her arrow whizzed past his head, nicking his ear, and thunked right into the far wall. Draco stumbled back, shocked and outraged. The hall suddenly became very quiet. All eyes turned to the Gryffindor table. Nico stood up and approached him, the air around him dropping in temperature. The Slytherin quailed away. "I don't think so, Draco."

At that moment, Mcgonagall rushed over, a furious look on her face. "Thalia! We do not shoot people here at Hogwarts!"

"It was just a warning shot!" Thalia protested.

Mcgonagall's nostrils flared."Have you heard of diplomacy, miss?"

Thalia looked her in the eye. "Yes. But you should do something, professor. He is a bully, and he must be stopped."

Mcagonagall glared at her. "If another Hogwarts student is threatened at your hands, I will personally attend to your issues with your temper!" She said tartly.

Thalia gritted her teeth."Fine."

The professor wheeled away. Draco scrambled to his feet, dusting his robes off. He shot Thalia a smug look, called to Crabbe and Goyle, and left for the Slytherin table. Hermione and Harry released Ron, who glared furiously after Draco. "If he makes _one more_ crack about my family..."

Piper put a hand on his shoulder."I know. That _was_ mean. We were all bullied at least once." She glanced around at the rest of them. "People made a lot of jokes because I was part Cherokee."

"We were all called freaks." Percy assured him. "Some of us..." He galnced guiltily at Nico. "Some of us were treated even worse."

That seemed to make Ron feel better. He opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a stream of owls flocking through the windows and into the Great Hall. Barn, elf, eagle-all the types he knew and a hundred more circling the hall, letters and packages in their talons and beak. Screech owls flocked around him, landing on the table and observing him with something like interest. Nico locked eyes with the one in front of him, an impressively big owl with his wings half spread. _Delivery owls?_ He asked. The bird flinched and took a step back, hooting nervously, his wings flaring and knocking over a glass of milk. It took him a moment to answer. _Post-Owls._ He corrected. Nico tilted his head slightly. Interesting. "Uh...Nico?"Percy asked."Are you done having a staring contest with the owl?"

Nico broke the connection and the screech took off, hooting into the sky. "I was _talking_ to it." He huffed.

Percy blinked."Like I can talk to horses and fish? Why would you be able to talk to screech owls?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "They're Hades' sacred animals, Percy!"

"Oh."

To his right, Harry murmured, "No mail." He looked disappointed, but he steeled himself. Hermione wasn't eating at all and was staring at them suspiciously. Nico knew they would have to be cautious around her. The others seemed to know, too, since they fell silent. He helped himself to some breakfast.

There tour began as soon as everyone finished eating. The moment they were out of the hall, Hermione whirled, crossing her arms."There's something different about you guys." She said.

"There is." Frank admitted. "But how can we trust you?"

That made her pause. "Of course you can trust me." She said at last. "I'm not going to harm you."

No one looked convinced."Hermione?" Ron asked. "What are you doing?"

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh."Honestly, your so thick sometimes. Don't you see it? There is obviously something different about them. They use bows and swords. The ghosts and the screech owls are taking a special interest in Nico. He can control the air temperature. Half of them have tattoos-SPQR. Senetus Populusqe Romanus. And have you _ever_ seen eyes like Hazel's?"

"No." Ron admitted.

"Exactly!" She turned towards them. "You can trust us. We won't harm you guys."

Annabeth looked her in the eyes."Tell your own secrets. And we will share ours."

Harry stumbled back. Hermione blinked, and Ron bit his lip. There was a moments silence. Each were unwilling to trust the other. Finally, Hermione turned to Harry. "It's your choice, then." She said.

"Why is it my choice?"He asked."You should judge."

"But they're _your_ secrets, Harry. _You_ decide whether to tell them or not."

Harry looked at them curiously, cautiously."...Alright. But you can't tell them to _anyone_ else, OK?"

"Only if _you_ won't." Annabeth replied.

"Sure!" Ron said.

"It's settled, then." Nico decided. Everyone jumped, and he can't help but smile a little. After all this time, they still forget he was present. "We'll show you everything, ok?" Hermione said."We will tell you what we can after."

"Alright." Frank said.

The tour was _long._ The trio explained were the houses were situated, their classrooms for all their studies, the hospital wing, the bathrooms, and so many other places. Ron kept complaining over just how much homework they had, and how Snape was a big 'git', and that they hardly ever get a break. Percy looked nauseous after he saw a pile of homework on one of the teacher's desk, much to Annabeth's and Hermione's amusement. "Your just like Ron." She told him. With help, Harry recited all the classes they could take: Defense Against the Dark Arts, or DADA, as Percy pointed out, but Ron objected. "Snape teaches that subject. If I had a choice, I would-"

"Ron. Let Harry continue." Hermione interrupted.

"Right."

Harry when on."Potions is taught by Slughorn-"

They all burst out laughing, except Nico, who managed to control his amusement. " _Slughorn_ _?_ Really?" Percy asked.

In the end, it was nearly impossible for them not to interrupt. Hermione scowled at them."Just let me finish, ok?" They only explored the first floor before the trio brought them out onto the grounds next. The first thing Nico saw was the hut near the forest and the monster tied to the fence. It was stormy-gray and looked like a griffin, but with the back half of a horse."It's OK!" Harry said quickly."He won't attack."

Thalia stared at him hard."A decapitated ghost and a pet monster? That sounds like trouble."

"He would have found us a long time ago," Annabeth reasoned."We have three...with you, Percy, and Nico with us, he would have reacted already."

"Sounds reasonable to me." Percy said.

Hermione shook her head. "Look...maybe they are monsters were you come from, but Buckbeak... _Wintherwings_ is perfectly trained. Just...here."

Hermione approached him and bowed low, then stared at him. He blinked fierce orange eyes and bowed back, spreading his wings slightly. Hermione walked over to him and patted him on the beak. "You see, you just need to show him respect. Never insult a hippogriff, if you do, it's likely the last thing you'll ever do."

"I doubt it." Frank muttered.

Ron turned to him."In our first Care of Magical Creatures class, Malfoy was attacked by Buckbeak, you know."

Piper raised an eyebrow."Have you battled cyclopses? Flocks of harpies? Dozens of hellhounds?"

"No," Ron replied, "but Harry battled a 50 foot dragon and a lake full of merepeople, _and Y_ ou-Know-Who and his Death Eaters."

"What about a manticore? A nemean lion? Kronos himself?" Thalia challenged.

"Hold on," Hermione said."Did you say Kronos? As in the Titan?"

"Yep." Percy said. "Plus Gaea and her giants."

Harry frowned."Gaea?"

"The earth goddess." Hazel supplied.

"That's it." Ron said. You guys _really_ need to tell us were you came from."

"Later." Thalia said.

"You can't stall forever y'know" Harry replied.

" _You_ were going to tell us later." Thalia shot back.

"We can tell you now." Ron replied.

"How?" Jason asked.

Harry flicked his wand, muttering," _Muffliato."_

"What was that?" Annabeth asked immediately.

"Anyone listening in will have their ears full buzzing." Harry explained, while Hermione sniffed disapprovingly.

"Useful." Hazel said.

"You go first." Frank said, looking at the Gryffindors.

So Harry explained, from beginning to end. He told them of Voldemort's attack when he was a baby, how his killing curse rebounded and destroyed the caster, how he had clung to life, existing purely because of numerous dark experiments. He told them of his first fight with Voldemort, how the dark lord had bent Quirrel to his will and used his body in an attempt to steal the 'Sorcerer's Stone'. He told of his second year, and his third, all the way to the present-the sixth. He hesitated on many occasions. Annabeth listened intently, searching his eyes."Your leaving out parts." She said when he was done.

Harry didn't answer for a second. "There's some stuff _strictly_ between Dumbledore, my friends, and me." He gestured towards Ron and Hermione. "It's sorta top secret. Dumbledore told me not to tell _anyone_ else." He added apologetically.

Nico raised and eyebrow."Then we can leave out the important parts, if that is what you want."

Hermione hesitated."Alright."

So it was the demigod's turn. Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Nico told them of the war with Kronos, leaving out specific details, like the location of the camp. Percy explained how the Greek/Roman gods existed, and how they sometimes had affairs with mortals that resulted in demigods. Half mortal, half god. He introduced himself as the son of Poseidon, Annabeth, Athena, Thalia, Zeus, Nico, Hades, Piper, Aphrodite, Jason, Jupiter, Frank, Mars, and Hazel, Pluto. He was only half-way through when Nico suddenly realized that the sun was already setting."It's getting late." Nico said.

Hermione looked up. "We should get back into the castle." She stared at them, partly awed, partly curious."We'll find time later."

They trooped into into the castled through the nearest gate. The trio guided them into the Great Hall, but stopped short. It was packed with people whispering to each other, squeezing through the crowd as if trying to get a better view. The demigods and wizards exchanged glances, then joined the mob. Nico squeezed his way through, sending people out of the way with stares. When he finally broke through the horde, the sight before him made him freeze. Dumbledore was making his way through the hall, using his wand to levitate a girl in Roman armor. Her ragged hair was braided down her shoulder, her face covered in blood and scratches. The imperial gold armor was gouged with claw marks. The only thing that remained in perfect condition was her cloak. The temperature around Nico dropped.

It was Reyna.

* * *

 **Did you enjoy?**

 **About the screech owl-it's true it's Hades' sacred animal, and I figured it only made sense that Nico could communicate with it, just like Percy.**

 **Thank you for reviewing guests, whoever and wherever you are in the world.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Guest: Glad you enjoyed it. We would love some more feedback.**

 **Guest II: Thanks for pointing that out, but I do have reason behind it. Though the majority chose Gryffindor, I though Hazel and Frank would feel safe as long as they are together, and Hufflepuff is the kindest house. As for Nico, he traveled the world alone. As the son of Hades, he would have attracted hordes of monsters, and yet he survived. He's fine.**

 **IcyFox17: We wanted it to be unique, thats why. It also makes sense. At least to me. Also, it seems like all HP/PJO crossovers are Protect Harry Potter!**

 **Guest III: Thanks for the support. Sorry, but we really can't update every day. We like to take our time with them. And stories written hastily fill up like 70% of HP/PJO crossovers.**

 **Claire: Every review counts. We're glad you liked the story.**

 **Thank you all for you're continuing support and encouragement. You are all awesome.**

* * *

Nico

Nico looked towards the other demigods, gauging their reactions. To the left, Jason looked stricken, and, predictably, guilty. Besides him, Piper was staring at Reyna, a look of slight horror on her face. Thalia had nothing but concern in her eyes. To his right, Annabeth was biting her lip, looking slightly worried, but mostly relieved. Percy had a look similar to Jason's. Frank looked surprised and somewhat guilty, and Hazel had her face in her hands. As one, they rushed forward, not entirely trusting Dumbledore. They followed him all the way to the Hospital Wing, flanking Reyna. They were kept outside by a fussy-looking woman, while Dumbledore proceeded in. Percy protested, but they were shut out. The woman, Pomfrey, assured them they could see Reyna after she was done, which none of them were very pleased about. So they waited, followed by a mob of curious people. Nico was slightly irritated by all the attention. Can't they ever leave someone alone?

"Who was that?" Hermione asked, popping out from the crowd with Harry and Ron behind her.

"That was Reyna." Hazel said.

"A friend of your's?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Piper said.

"What's her last name?" Ron asked nosily.

Jason shrugged."Better not say it. She hates her last name. And it won't end well if you mention it in front of her."

It seemed a long time before the door finally swung open. Pomfrey looked out, her eyes widening with surprise at the number of people who had come."You may come in now." She said to the demigods."But no more than eight."

The Hospital Wing was spacious, with numerous white-linen beds and large windows. In a corner was a separate room, perhaps Pomfrey's office. They saw Reyna on a bed, her armor and cloak on a coat hanger, most of her cuts mended, bandages on the nastier ones, her numerous weapons on the ground next to her, and a flask with a goblet on her bedside cabinet. She was wearing a purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt and jeans. Reyna was sleeping peacefully, but Nico could see were her muscles were tensed, like she was ready for battle. He walked over to the flask, which was filled with purple liquid. He sniffed it cautiously. He couldn't identify the smell, but it was soothing, a little like lavender."It's some sort of concoction. Could be anything."

Pomfrey burst through the doors, looking irate. She headed straight for her office, but Annabeth seized her arm and swung her around."What is that thing you gave her?" She demanded, her eyes stormy.

The healer huffed indignantly."It's just a sleeping draught. I won't poison her." Her tone was annoyed. She snatched away her arm and stalked towards the office, muttering under her breath; and slammed the door shut. Frank, Hazel, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper took a seat. Nico and Thalia remained standing on opposite sides of the bed. They waited patiently for Reyna to wake up, and in silence, which left Nico to his own thoughts. He kept his hand on his Stygian iron sword, his muscles tensed. He hadn't felt quite safe since their encounter with a nearly headless ghost and a monster.

It felt like hours before Reyna woke. Predictably, she was in a violent mood when she came around, reaching for a sword that wasn't there."Reyna! You're awake!" Frank said.

She looked at each them carefully."What is this place?" She asked finally.

"This is the Hospital Wing, in Hogwarts." Percy said.

She frowned, pulling away her ragged hair."Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts is a school of witchcraft and wizardry. This is Scotland, and it's 1996."

"Reyna opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by Jason, who interrupted "We can explain later back in the Common Room. And while we're here, why don't you tell us your story?"

Reyna's arrival was similar at first. She had ended up in the Forbidden Forest just as the rest of them had. But, instead of encountering centaurs, she had face giant spiders-Acromantulas, Ron had called them. She explained how she had gotten herself surrounded, how she tried to negotiate with the old blind spider Aragog, how he couldn't deny fresh meat to his children, and allowed them to attack. She didn't explain in detail what happened, but it seemed like her Aegis had proven affective. She had also tried calling Aurum and Argentum, but neither had come. Outnumbered, she had fled, wounded and exhausted, and somehow stumbled upon Hogwarts grounds. She remembered nothing else."Wow…" Hazel said faintly."That's just…wow."

Percy smiled."Facing a horde of giant spiders on your own? I know I wound't have managed that without Annabeth."

Annabeth shuddered."No way I'm going in there again. I've had enough of giant spiders. Or any spiders, for that matter.

"I'm just glad you didn't run into any other monsters in that forest." Jason said. I've heard there are werewolves and such."

Reyna swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and Jason scooted away to give her room. She winced slightly as her feet took her weight, but otherwise, she seemed fine. Pomfrey suddenly burst out the door, looking alarmed."You shouldn't be up! It would be better if you stayed for the night, young lady, and maybe some more potions. Your body needs to heal!"

"I'm fine." Reyna snapped."I've been in war, suffered injuries far worse."

"But-"

"No."

"Fine. You can go up to the dormitories with your friends. But _don't_ do anything risky."

"You don't need to fuss, really." Her tone was annoyed.

Pomfrey pursed her lips, then turned and slammed the door shut a second time. Reyna picked up her equipment, wheeled around, and left. The rest hurried after her."There are four houses." Annabeth said, once she caught up."Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. You'll need to choose one. Gryffindor is for the brave-hearted. Ravenclaws are smart. Hufflepuffs are kind and loyal. And Slytherins are ambitious."

Reyna tilted her head slightly, considering."Gryffindor, then."

They were already attracting a lot of attention. The mob had dispersed, but the few who saw them turned to stare. Reyna glared at them, and they quickly looked away, shuffling back to their own business. Thalia led them back to the common room, informing Reyna about Hogwarts along the way.

In the Common Room, they found Ron snoozing on an armchair next to the fire, Harry playing a sort of marble-game with a red haired girl who looked to be Ron's sister, and Hermione looking into a ratty old book, a length of yellow parchment next to her. Ron stirred when they entered, mumbling "Who's there?" in an exhausted voice.

"It's us." Percy said, like "us" helped.

The red-haired girl looked up."You're the newcomers. Though I don't remember seeing _you_ before." She nodded at Reyna.

"That's Reyna." Hermione said, without looking up from her book.

"Reyna who?"

The praetor scowled."You don't need to know."

"Ginny Weasley." The red-head said. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Reyna said, but she didn't sound very sincere. She was staring at them with cold eyes, the way they had when Nico first brought Hazel to Camp Jupiter.

"We've got a lot to discuss." Frank interjected."We'll see you later."

Harry nodded." I can repair the armor, though." He said.

Reyna regarded him suspiciously, then handed over her armor. He tapped them with his wand, and muttered an incantation. The gold burnished itself, scratches disappeared, gouges filled themselves in and dents were smoothed over again. He handed it back. "I honestly don't get why you wear this." He added.

Reyna ignored him, turning over the imperial gold. Finally, she looked up." Thank you."

"It's nothing."

They all crowded into the boy's guest room, since Percy made a big show of trying to climb up the girl's staircase and ended up sliding back down. Nico looked around. Not bad. Certainly not as gloomy as the Slytherin Dormitories. Jason, Percy, Piper, and Annabeth sat around the table. Frank and Hazel occupied one of the beds, and the rest remained standing."You've got _a lot_ to catch up to." Percy said. He began telling her about their time at Hogwarts, Harry's adventures, all of it. The rest helped here and there, and Nico merely listened. Reyna's face betrayed none of her thoughts, and she took it all in without saying a word. She maintained her silence even after, taking her time. Finally, she nodded.

"I see." Was the only thing she said. After that matter was turned aside, they discussed. Simply to much had happened in a two days. "Should we trust this place?" Piper said. "We've already seen enough. A headless ghost, giant spiders, a hippogriff, who know's what else the've got?"

"Well Nick did say he wasn't beheaded at the castle right?" Annabeth replied. "And the hippogriff seems to be perfectly trained."

"And why should we trust _him_?" Thalia asked."And do I have to remind you that they have a psychotic caretaker who enjoys torturing students? A cerebus and a basilisk lurking in the castle?"

"Dumbledore never allows him to use those chains." Jason said. "But I think he would if he had permission to. And Fluffy was there to protect the Sorcerer's Stone, not to eat anybody."

Percy shook his head. "I think they have been trustworthy enough. The've shown us hospitality so far."

"And introduced us to a new Dark Lord." Thalia muttered.

"I see no reason to trust them either." Reyna agreed.

"You could have ben easily poisoned or anything by that Pomfrey woman, but she only gave you a sleeping draught. I believe we can trust them." Hazel said.

"And if it's an act?"

"We keep our guard up." Frank said."Never travel alone. That sort of stuff." He glanced at Nico."Maybe you should join us."

The son of Hades shrugged."I've survived on my own, _without_ the help of the camps."

"Suit yourself." Percy said. He had a frown on his face, and Nico could see that his words hit him hard.

"There's also the problem that Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold doesn't seem to work either. They don't dissolve monsters anymore. It left injuries on those centaurs like if you used a steel blade." Annabeth said.

"That _is_ weird." Piper agreed."As far as I recall, the Olympians _have_ been in Europe."

"You recalled correctly." Reyna assured her.

"The screech owls sense something, but don't recognize me. It's as if Hades doesn't exist at all. Or any of the other gods, for that matter." Nico said.

Frank's brows were furrowed."You mean there're _no_ gods here? But how does that happen?"

Jason shook his head."I don't know.

Nico knew what they were all feeling. Even though the gods used them as toys and clever tools, they did care to some degree. He had always known that whatever happened, Hades would protect him. Or, if not, he would always have a place in the palace. He didn't have the slightest idea were he would go if he died here, what sort of underworld they had, and if he even had the ability to return as a ghost. The small sense of safety he never knew he had vanished."What are we going to do?" Jason said.

"Confirm there are no gods." Annabeth said."Percy could try and communicate with whatever's in that lake. If they don't recognize him, well…" She didn't finish.

"If we're stuck here, we might as well live here." Reyna said."With or without the gods."

Piper didn't look very sure about it, but nodded."All right."

* * *

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter. I know it was slightly boring, but the next chapter should be better.**


	5. Chapter 5

**IcyFox17: Good prediction. We'll try and loosen things up slightly in this chapter.**

 **Guest: I think you've got the wrong impression of Reyna. She's ambitious, yes, but all she does is for the good of her camp. She** **genuinely liked Jason and Percy, and wouldn't use anyone as pawns. As for Annabeth, call it a sacrifice. If she went with Reyna and the execution was carried out, Reyna would call peace, since the Camp would be mostly satisfied. It really isn't the right thing to do, I know, but everyone makes mistakes. Also, they aren't formally part of Hogwarts, so they get to pick their house.**

* * *

Percy

Last in line, Percy Jackson waited for class to start. Though the demigods couldn't work spells, Dumbledore had suggested that they participate in certain classes, such as Defense Against the Dark Arts,-or DADA, as he liked to call it-Astronomy, History of Magic, Herbology, Divination, Arithmacy, Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle studies, and-possibly-Potions. Percy had refused most of them, with the exception of DADA and Potions, the only subjects that sounded interesting. Dumbledore had excused them from the spellwork and the homework, and Snape couldn't add or dock points from any of them. Annabeth accepted DADA, Astronomy, Potions, and Arithmancy. Percy wanted to be with Annabeth for more than one class, but Arithmancy would kill him. He already hated math.

All conversations were halted once the door swung open. The students proceeded in, scattering to find seats. The room was dark, with all the windows hidden by inky curtains. The only sources of light came from various candles around the room, which illuminated gruesome pictures decorating the walls. Percy sat at the back, Annabeth on his right and Jason on his left. Snape was standing at the front, staring out with black eyes. "Take out your textbooks. Flip to page 142. Now!" He ordered. There was a flurry of movement as all the students removed their books from their bags.

"And what should we do if we don't have a book?" Thalia asked.

"You shall address me as either 'Sir' or 'Professor'. Nothing else." Snape snapped, glaring at her."You can share with Mrs. Parkinson over there." He said, pointing to a hideous pug-faced girl. "You," He said to Jason, "could share with Longbottom. I trust the rest you have enough brains to find your own partners."

Percy felt a flash of irritation; he was liking Snape less and less. He ended up having to move to sit next to a Hogwarts student, a sandy-haired boy."Seamus Finnigan." He introduced. He was nearly as tall as Percy, despite being four or five years younger.

"Percy." He said. Seamus slid the book between them so Percy could see the text.

"Now as you have noticed, we have several, ah guests in our midst. Why don't you introduce yourselves?" Snape said. "You first." He pointed at Hazel. The daughter of Pluto looked around nervously, and Frank placed a hand of her shoulder."Hazel."

"Frank."

"Piper."

"Jason."

"Thalia."

"Percy."

"Annabeth."

"Nico."

"Reyna."

Snape continued."They are merely guests at Hogwarts, and will be exempt from homework and practicing spells." He paused.

"Can you dock points?" Someone called.

The professor snapped his attention toward the boy."Raise your hand before you speak, Mr. Kosbey."

He raised his hand."Yes?" Snape asked.

"If they're not part of the school, will you be able to dock points from them?"

Grease-Hair curled his lip."Unfortunately, no. But the Headmaster will issue a punishment if things get out of hand. Now! I want you to read page 142 silently. Practice with your partner after you have finished."

Percy was reluctant to read, but the new and unfamiliar subject caught him well enough. He couldn't understand half of what it was saying, but it was much more interesting than any of Percy's old, ordinary textbooks.

"Now, I have assumed you are all done reading. You may find a partner and practice the advanced nonverbal spells." He waved his wand and all the desks slid to the side toward the corner of the room, piling neatly. A round-faced boy dodged too late and ended up tripping on the leg of the desk. Laughter rose from the Slytherins, but Reyna silenced them with one cold look. She walked over and offered her hand, which he took gratefully.

"Thanks." He muttered, dusting off his robes.

Seamus and Percy stood opposite to each other, one had a wand drawn, looking slightly nervous, the other had his hand in his pocket, ready to fight at a moments notice.

"Now, when I say so, one of you should be able to cast a spell in silence, and the other deflect it in equal silence. Go!"

Percy and Seamus turned on each other."How are you going to deflect a spell?" He asked curiously.

Percy shrugged and pulled out Riptide. Seamus blinked at it."It's a pen."

"A sword, actually." Percy said. He uncapped it and Anaklusmos expanded into three feet of deadly celestial Bronze.

"What are you waiting for Finnigan, I said go!" Snape barked.

Seamus's spell caught Percy by surprise. A black blindfold flew at his face, obscuring his vision before he tore it off. He deflected the second spell and it bounced towards Snape, catching him in the back. His greasy hair suddenly began growing at an alarming rate, until his whole head was obscured by a giant afro. People forgot what they were doing and turned to watch, the Gryffindors bursting into raucous laughter. Even Nico smiled. Snape drew his own wand waved it, and his mane of hair went back to normal. He glared at the Gryffindors with glittering black eyes and everyone was silenced instantly."Who did that?" He whispered dangerously. A stack of books fell and a Slytherin jumped, almost tripping on Frank's foot. When no one stepped forward, he said,"Very well. Eighty points from Gryffindor." He sneered triumphantly.

Everyone burst into protest, and Reyna stepped forward, glaring Snape back."Eighty points? Just because someone cast a spell on you?" She said.

"You can't tell me what to do." Snape snapped, glaring harder. Percy stepped up to him.

"Eighty points is way to much," He reasoned.

"Eighty points is way to much, sir."

"I'm not calling you sir." Percy retorted.

Snape didn't seem to know what to say. He opened and closed his mouth, his eyes blazing with anger.

"If I could hand you punishments I would give you a month's detentions. Class dismissed. Get out of my sight!"

"That was brilliant!" Ron said as they strode from the classroom, an influx of delighted Gryffindors busting through the door. "I've never seen a better class with Snape!" Harry said.

"That's why I never lasted very long at any school," Percy informed. Descending down the marble staircase, they head for the Great Hall.

"Thanks to you, half the class was cut off," Harry said.

Percy smiled."Glad to help."

"You do realize Snape would come up with _some_ sort revenge, don't you?" Hermione asked. She had a frown on her face.

"Oh, come on, Hermione," Ron said."Snape is such a git. Loosen up!"

"He's still a _professor,_ Ron!"

"An unfair Professor," Reyna said.

"True." Piper agreed.

"Maybe he's unfair, but you should still treat him with respect!"

"After all he done?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Break it up!" Hazel said. She glanced around at all of them with lustrous gold eyes."We're heading up to our Common Rooms." She gestured to Frank and Nico.

"Unused to attention?" Annabeth asked, smiling.

Hazel bobbed her head, looking slightly embarrassed."Yeah."

They had a hasty round of farewells before the larger group proceeded to the Great Hall. Percy suddenly noticed the smirk of Thalia's face and her overly amused expression. "What's up?" He asked.

She turned towards him."Pansy Parkinson was quite annoying, so I decided to put her in her place."

Percy knew from the mischievous glint in her eyes that it was something bad.

"What'de you do?"

She shrugged."I deflected her own spell back at her, and watched the tentacles grow from her face."

The long, wooden tables had even more dishes than during breakfast. There was some sort of beef stew, lamb chops, baked and mashed potatoes, gravy, sprouts, salad, and jugs of pumpkin juice. Percy took a seat and started loading his plate. Annabeth sat to his left side and Thalia in the right. Jason, Piper, and Reyna (who, for once, wasn't wearing her armor) sat next to her. She poked the food suspiciously, but dug in. Percy piled his plate high with food and started eating. He still wasn't use to British food, but it tasted good in an odd way. He finished last, and dragged everyone down. Once he was done, they left for Hogwarts grounds while everyone else departed for lessons. Leaving the Castle, they trudged through the chilly rain to the Black Lake.

The thing was a huge expanse of cold, steel gray water. Percy remembered what Harry had told him about the Second Task, that had taken place in the treacherous waters. "Well, here it is." Percy said. "I'll get going. If the gods are in this place, we'll know."

Without any hesitation, he dove into the lake, the water rising to catch him. He willed the currents to help him and he shot down towards the bottom of the lake. The water was murky and felt slightly odd, but he could control it. That mattered. Percy grinned as darted over forests of lake weed. He hadn't been in the water for so long, and it felt good to be back in his element. He did a flip and twist, rocketing up to meet a school of fish. The creatures didn't scatter, so Percy took that as a good sign. _Hey._ He said. The whole school flickered away, but stayed in front of him. _What is this?_ One finally asked. _Ummm…do you know anything about Poseidon?_ He asked, careful not to get his hopes up. _No, Lord._ It said. _Should we?_ Percy sighed. Did that mean the gods really _didn't_ exist? _Um, thanks. What else lives down here anyway?_ He asked. _Many things. Fish, crayfish, mollusks, a giant squid, water demons, mer-people-_

 _Thanks._ Percy interrupted. _You may go now._ They scattered. Percy hung suspended in the water. So the gods didn't exist here after all. The though was, at the same time, a relief and a disappointment. It would be beyond Poseidon's power to protect him, but it would also mean he could insult the gods without being struck by lightning. There would be no quests, no monsters, no…well, practically anything from home. It would also mean he could fly without Zeus blasting him into. He shook himself out of the thoughts. He would visit the mere-people, maybe they could give him a little more information. Plus, he was curious of how they differed from the Greek fish-people. Percy turned and shot off; he assumed the mer-people would live somewhere at the bottom of the lake. At one point, he spotted the giant squid swimming lazily around, and decided to stay as far away from it as possible. He didn't want any trouble.

The mer-people, as Percy found out, weren't unlike the Greek ones. They had seaweed green hair that looked almost like coral and they had gray skin. Their maws held tiny needle-like teeth; their faces were slightly flat and a little fish-like, with feral yellow eyes. They swarmed around what looked to be a crude village, swimming with powerful silver fish tails and holding weapons in their hands, as if their teeth and claw-like fingernails weren't enough. They turned to stare, some darting away, others hurtling towards him with none-to-friendly faces. Percy tried to stay calm as they swarmed him, coming close enough to touch him, but not quite doing so Their tails stirred up the water around them, so Percy had a little difficulty staying in one place. _Uh, hello?_ Percy tried. They hissed, gurgling in their own language, darting around him so fast Percy couldn't tell one from the other. One tried to put his trident at Percy's throat, but was pushed back with a powerful current. Percy drew Riptide and slashed at another one, but she twisted away. _I just wan't to talk!_ Percy said. They stopped abruptly, hovering in the water, regarding him with bulging eyes. _What sort of spell is this?_ One asked. _You speak to us, control the currents, breath underwater. Your human coverings do not get wet. What sort of spell is this?_

 _I am the son of Poseidon. I don't even know any spells, these are the powers I inherited from him._

They didn't seem to know what to do with that. They hissed in their own language, which Percy couldn't understand, much to his annoyance. Slowly, the mer-people started backing away, lowering their weapons. _What do you come for?_

Percy shrugged _. Just to see how you differ from the mer-people back at home._

 _Oh? And what are they like?_

 _They_ look _pretty much the same, but they don't have their own language, and they generally live in the sea._

They hissed and gurgled. Percy though he could see anger in their faces, though it was hard to tell. He suddenly noticed that they wore crude rock necklaces around their necks. _Wizards keep us contained in the lake. They strip us of our liberty._ Their eyes were alight with anger. _They do not consider us human, and think us as mindless beasts. What is your true intention?_

Percy didn't think it fair that wizards should treat them like this. They _were_ at least half-human, and they did use weapons other then their natural ones. _What did you guys do?_ He asked.

 _Why should you care?_

 _Because I think it was unfair._

That stirred them up slightly, their anger turning to curiosity. _We could take you into our village._ Once offered.

 _Uhh…thanks, but I really should be getting back._ Percy suddenly realized how long he had been down here. _My friends would be worried._

Some even looked disappointed. _Very well. Visit again, son of Poseidon._

 _Call me Percy. Percy Jackson._

They didn't respond, but turned towards their village, their silver fish tails swirling up the water and generating clouds of bubbles. Percy twisted around and shot up, only half paying attention to where he was going. The Greek gods don't exist. Of that, he was certain. Wizards also didn't like half-breeds. He wondered if that was why the centaurs had been so territorial, and if the Forbidden Forest was the only place they existed now. He found that though rather depressing.

Then something seized his leg, jerking him into the lake weed. Percy yelled and he thrashed his legs, but the creature held on tight with green octopus tentacles. Its needle-like teeth were bared. It had little horns atop his head and eyes to match his tentacles-that of an octopus's. Grindylows. Percy tried to yank Anaklusmos out of his pocket, but a second water-demon bit into his arm. Percy gritted his teeth as pain bright and hot exploded from his arm. He pushed it with the current and smashed the thing into a rock, were it floated away, dazed. Water started to heal the bite, but Percy had other problems. A thick cloud of the sickly green water demons was now darting towards him. Shaking the first demon of his leg, He made a fist of water, throwing a punch at the mob, stunning the ones in the front lines, but not quite getting the ones behind the meat shield. Percy pulled Riptide out from his pocket, throwing away the cap, watching it transform from a half-foot of plastic to a gleaming bronze blade around a yard long. He slashed at a grindylow, slicing the head of and letting out a spew of dark blood that made Percy want to throw up. The swarm darted towards him, but Percy pushed them back with a powerful current, slicing the heads off any who got too close. Dark blood billowed around him and tried to forced down his lunch. He spun around and darted up, away from the monsters, who made no effort to follow. Instead, they glared at him with green octopus eyes and sank back into the lake weed. Percy's head broke the surface in record time and the current helped him to shore."Percy!" Annabeth, who was waiting for him on the banks, rushed up to him, worry clear in her storm-gray eyes."Oh gods…what happened?" She asked.

Percy grimaced."I was attacked. Grindylows."

"The ones Harry fought during the Triwizard Tournament." She recalled.

Percy nodded. The rest of the demigods trailed over with various degrees of concern on their faces."What took so long?" Frank asked."I was about to go looking for you."

"Don't be stupid. You'll never survive down their."

He shrugged."I can turn into a shark or something."

Percy smiled as an image flashed through his head-a giant teenage-boy-sized koi swimming in a giant tank in the aquarium of Atlanta.

"So do the gods control this place?" Reyna asked.

"No." Percy said. "They both fortunately and unfortunately don't. The fish in there didn't recognize me."

"So that means we're all alone here." Piper said.

"Pretty much, yeah." Percy replied.

"We better get going for potions." Annabeth suddenly said. "Class starts in 20 minutes."

"Okay. See ya' guys. I'll tell the whole story later ." He told the rest of them.

Percy had decided to take Potions only because Annabeth also did, and it seemed like a decent subject. After all, it didn't look too hard to brew a potion.

They were late to Potions Class, due to hallway traffic and the myriad corridors that seem to form a maze. However, the current Potions Master seemed the exact opposite of Snape, and welcomed them jovially, letting them find their seats and introduce themselves. They found the darkest, most out-of-the-way place to sit, but even, then, they were attracting a lot of attention. Their teacher introduced himself as Horace Slughorn, a plump man in a rich velvet coat. Percy was slightly worried over the amount of strain the golden buttons were taking; they looked like they would burst any second. He pulled out a set of spare books and handed and gave one each, telling them to flip to page 327, a potion that Percy couldn't understand the purpose. After listening to Slughorn's lecture for about five minutes, his attention slipped away. His eyes wandered the dungeon, noticing tiny things, like the stray strand of golden hair atop Slughorn's head. Annabeth had to tell him directly that it was time to start, and by then, he though he would die of boredom. Percy looked at his book.

* * *

 _, heat the water in the cauldron for ten to fifteen minutes. Add ten ounces of powdered griffin claw. After the powder has dissolved, reduce the heat to low, stir counterclockwise for two minutes, then clockwise for three. Your potion should now be a bright yellow color. You have completed step one._

 _Step Two: Add three bundles of shredded knotgrass into your cauldron, wait five minutes for them to stew…_ The directions went on, and Percy soon lost interest. He turned to the cauldron next to him, a spare one that Slughorn had generously given, at least until he had gotten his own. He needed water, and was about to summon some from the gargoyle-faucet sink before he remembered that this was Hogwarts, and he didn't need attention. So he had to take the cauldron there and fill it, then drag it back. He was already annoyed that he couldn't use his powers. Once he lugged it back over the fire, he turned to the book, picking out the ingredients. Powdered griffin claw, dandelion roots, knotgrass, lion fish spines, flobberworm mucus, dried fire salamander tail, and tentacula leaves. He walked over to the student cupboard and began to collect the necessary ingredients for his potion. Once he got them all, he returned to his desk, where the fire had already started. He waited ten minutes for the water, as the book said, then added the griffin claw. He looked at the flame underneath his cauldron, there was no gauge, knob or anything to adjust the fire. He turned to a brown-haired Gryffindor girl next to him. "Excuse me, but how do you adjust the fire?"

For some reason, she blushed deeply, looking embarrassed."Y-you're one of the visitor right? You couldn't do magic?"

"Er, no, actually."

"A-alright."

She pulled out a wand and tapped the cauldron stand. The flames instantly turned from bright blue to a simmering orange.

"Thanks."

Her blush turned, if possible, even deeper. Percy got his stick thing and began stirring, ignoring the girl as she turned to the students around her. After he was done, it turned into a muddy yellow opposed to the bright lemony color he should of gotten. He looked into Annabeth's cauldron. She was doing much better, and the concoction was sunflower yellow.

He continued reading the next page. _After your potion has turned into a coffee brown, let it sit above the fire for seven minutes. Crush two spines from a lion fish in a mortar and pestle, then add five chopped tantacula leaves into the spine powder. Add the mixture into your the flame to high, then tip your cauldron to the left, stir three times clockwise then one time counterclockwise until potion starts steaming gently. Place your cauldron back down. You have completed step two..._

He asked a blond haired boy this time to tune his fire, fearing that the girl would combust with embarrassment if he asked again. He did a rather sloppy job chopping up the tentacula leaves, and he did a wrong stir, which made his potion belch out dark purple smoke that smelled like Ugly Gabe.

In the end, his potion was a complete disaster. It was supposed to be a liquid pumpkin orange potion that smoked gently, but his hands produced a chunky yellowy brown broth that still erupted clouds of heavy, cloying Gabe smelling steam. Percy was sweating profusely, his hands dusty and stained with who-knows-what. He first went to the stone gargoyle, rinsing his hands in the icy water.

After Percy had returned to his seat, Slughorn started to inspect their potions. Percy saw Ron, swearing under his breath, who's potion was cactus green and spitting out lime sparks, Sluggy wrinkled his nose at it, and jotted down a D on a notepad. Hermione's was the correct orange, and was smoking too heavily. He gave an Harry's potion looked perfect to every detail. It was the orange that the book had described, looked very liquid, and steamed lightly as the book had described. Slughorn gave a look of delight and scribbled an O on his notepad. He looked at Annabeth's potion, which was golden instead of orange. "Not bad for a beginner! Very good!" He said as he scribbled an A. He made a rueful smile when he saw Percy's. "Well, here's some worse beginner's luck!" He patted Percy on the shoulder."Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it." And wrote a large P on his notebook.

"That was way harder then I thought." Percy said as they walked down the corridor.

"It was." Annabeth agreed. It sounds so straightforward, but it's so complex,"

Percy nodded, letting his mind wander. He couldn't help but overhear the brown-haired Gryffindor talking to her friends.

"He talked to me. He actually talked to me! Would you have invited him to the Yule Ball?"

"Definitely!"

"I think I'de rather take the other one. Jason."

"Oh, he's _so_ gorgeous, isn't he? With his blue eyes and blond hair?"

Next to him, Annabeth rolled her eyes, looking exasperated."Honestly, do they have _any_ dignity?"

Percy shrugged.

The next few days past without incident. The demigods were slowly getting used to Hogwarts, joining the students in a class or two, and hanging out with Ron, Hermione (Harry was so busy he could hardly spare a night), and a few fellow Gryffindors. They all picked up a game or two at some point, such as Gobstones or Exploding Snap. Percy, Jason, Frank, and Hazel had been on magical flying broomsticks, with belonged to the school, and were so dreadful that Jason had more success flying without one. Then there was Hogsmeade, the village close to Hogwarts, with held a bar named the Hog's Head Inn. Percy wondered why there were so many hog-s'. Dumbledore made exceptions for them, since regular Hogwarts students need a permission slip from their parents. Growing up, Percy never got much sweets, and he seized his chance to eat as many as possible. Honeydukes held a wide assortment of candy, most of which he liked. Fizzing Whizzbees, Jelly Slugs, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, enormous slabs of every type of chocolate, sugar quills, Pepper Imps, Peppermint Frogs, etc. Others, like the blood lollipops, he simply avoided. He would've been almost perfectly at ease if not for the knowledge of Voldemort's rein of terror and slaughtering of 'mudbloods'. The demigods stuck close together, always sitting in one house table and clustering in the back of the classroom. Everyday, news of death and destruction arrived on the wizarding newspaper. Students never lingered in hallways and always traveled in tightly knit groups, now that the excitement of the visitors had died down. Everyone was feeling the ominous presence in the air.

To be continued…

* * *

 **This chapter was too long, so I have to cut in half. We hope you enjoyed it, since the last chapter was a bit boring. We would love some feedback. If you prefer it, you could always PM us, and we won't post a public response. Any suggestions on improving our writing? Post it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ah. How long has it been? Roughly three weeks? Yeah. Sorry about the lack of updates. Things will start to picking up a little, hopefully we'll have a little action by the next chapter, because the Battle of the Astronomy Tower looms nigh. Monday night, and be sure to bring some popcorn! Its going to be fun!**

 **(I don't mean I'll update again Monday night, the battle takes place on Monday night.)**

 **Icyfox17: It's not fine and dandy. Please, point them out for me.**

* * *

 **Percy**

It was Saturday night. The star-studded sky was, for once, clear of all clouds. Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be buried in a mound of homework. Percy was quietly conversing with Annabeth; they hadn't had a proper time to talk in ages, Jason and Piper were playing Exploding Snap, Thalia was watching them and calling out suggestions, Hazel and Frank weren't present, and Nico was talking with Reyna. It was almost normal now, lounging in the Gryffindor Common Room. Yet everyone was vigilant. Percy was playing with Riptide, and Annabeth's storm-gray eyes wouldn't stay put. Reyna was twirling her dagger, transforming it into a blurred circle. They were all waiting. Harry wanted to tell them something important, something that supposably affected their future. It was nearly the end of break when he finally finished. He threw down his quill, got up, and stretched, then turned to the demigods."I haven't got much time, so listen."

That roused them from their various activities. Piper looked up just as on a Snap card exploded. She jerked backwards with a small yelp and ended up with singed eyebrows. Percy started laughing until Piper shot him a glare that said, _shut up_. Reyna and Nico joined them on the couches. Harry looked around."Where are Frank and Hazel?" He asked.

"Out for a walk." Piper said.

"Well, get them back, and quick. This is important."

"What are you going to tell them about, Harry?" Hermione asked suspiciously."If it's about Malfoy again-"

"It is. And I'm sure about it, Hermione." Harry cut in.

"What about Draco?" Nico asked.

"Harry has this idea that Malfoy is working for You-Know-Who," Ron clarified.

"It's not an idea, Ron." Harry said.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Harry turned to the half-bloods."Just wait here." Without further ado, he turned, jerked open the door, and rushed up the stairs to the Boy's Dormitories. He came back down in a few minutes."They are down by the lake."

"I'll get them." Jason said, starting to get up.

"You're not going alone." Piper said."I'm going with you."

Jason smiled."Sure."

Percy watched as the pair opened the portrait and crawled through the hole. He resumed his conversation with Annabeth; and Reyna went over to sit with Thalia, looking perfectly at ease while the two children of the Big Three stared each other through. It was several long minutes before the portrait finally opened, revealing Frank, Hazel, Piper, and Jason. Once they settled and cleared away the Snap cards, Harry began. Only Ron and Hermione weren't listening. Percy struggled to pay attention, while Annabeth and Reyna listened attentively, sitting perfectly still. Harry's speech was rushed, as he struggled to fit all his evidence in."What do you think?" He asked finally.

"I think its far-fetched," Ron offered, his mouth full of sweets.

"I wasn't asking you, Ron." Harry said, a note of irritation in his voice.

"I can't decide." Reyna said, shrugging."I haven't even met him."

"I think its possible." Annabeth said slowly, a thoughtful frown creasing her face."Who are his parents?" She asked suddenly.

"Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. They're both Death Eaters. Well, Lucius is." Harry added.

"Do you know anything about his past?" Reyna asked

"All you need to know is that he was a big git." Ron said."Nothing else."

"But he wasn't neglected in any way?"

"Definitely not." Harry said.

"Then he's got no reason to hate anyone."

"He defiantly hates me," Harry muttered.

"For no serious reasons, I'd think."

"Nothing serious," Hermione assured,"Except for the fact that he hangs out with muggle-borns, opposes Malfoy's parent's master, and made fun of the entire family."

Reyna shrugged."Alright."

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione."See? They agree."

"I wouldn't sat I agree. I'd say I'm suspicious." Frank said.

"What are we going to do about it?" Hazel asked.

"We keep track of his movements." Nico said. No one was able to hide their surprise, except Reyna and Thalia, who were sitting next to him.

"Gods, Nico…" Annabeth muttered.

Nico smiled slightly, looking amused."Is he usually like this?" Hermione asked.

"Yep," Percy said.

"But how can you keep track?" Ron asked.

"I can turn into an insect," Frank volunteered,"or something else that's hard to notice."

"Could you?" Hermione asked, suddenly interested.

"Yeah." Frank ducked his head, looking embarrassed.

"And you could do it right now?" Ron said.

Frank looked over at Percy, who shrugged."Why not? Show them."

The son of Mars hesitated for a moment, then turned into an eagle. Not the giant version, but the type you could see in the wild. His talons punctured the armchair and he dipped his head, giving Ron a sideways look with fierce orange eyes."That's wicked cool," Ron said, looking at him with awe.

"You could turn into whatever you want?" Hermione asked, amazed.

Frank turned back."Yeah. Sorry 'bout the rips."

"You don't have to say sorry," Harry assured him.

"I have a New York Yankee's cap that turns the wearer invisible," Annabeth said,"but it doesn't work anymore." There was a flicker of sadness in her voice.

Harry looked up."How does it work? Who gave it to you?" He asked.

"You just put it on. It was a gift from Athena, but it stopped working after a fight."

Hermione furrowed her brows."You fought with a goddess?"

Annabeth shrugged."I'm her daughter, so the chances of her blasting me isn't so high."

"I still can't get over the fact that you are part god," Harry muttered.

Percy grinned."It took all of us some time."

"I was convinced ever since the monsters came." Thalia said.

Jason leaned forward."Nico has this habit of hiding in the shadows; its hard to notice him until he speaks up. He could help."

The son of Hades frowned in Jason's direction."Are you signing me up without permission?" He asked.

"If you wan't to help, of course." Piper said hastily.

He shrugged."Sure."

Harry looked around."Anyone else?"

"No." Annabeth said.

"All right. Try whenever you can. I can lend you my invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map, if you'd like."

"Sure," Reyna said.

Percy, unfortunately, wasn't in the Spy Team, since he couldn't hide very well, and because of his ADHD. That didn't matter, though, because no one got except Frank and Nico. They planned to start right after breakfast, and with that settled, everyone left for their dorms. And Percy had no trouble sleeping.

Percy was lounging in the Gryffindor Common Room when he received the note. It was late afternoon and close to dinner, so, in the meantime, he enjoyed a few treats and hung out with his friends. He had been waiting for Annabeth to complete her lessons, and was slightly disappointed when the portrait hole oped to reveal a different girl. She hurriedly handed over a tiny green-ribboned scroll and rushed away, avoiding eye-contact. The other demigods had gathered around him, curious. Percy untied the knot. The letter was written in elegant cursive, and read:

 _For Percy and friends: Would you mind over for a spot of dinner at 7 today? All nine of you are invited._

 _~ Professor H.E.F. Slughorn._

"Slughorn. The Potion's Master?" Frank asked.

"Yep. Wonder why he wants us over?" Percy said.

"Maybe he wants to get to know us," Reyna suggested.

"That seems likely," Hazel agreed.

"Does anyone want to go?" Piper asked.

Percy shrugged."Worth a shot, I guess. I want to see what there is."

"And how the food is," Frank added. Hazel swatted him lightly.

"From his looks, I think he'd set up a lavish dinner," Reyna observed. She smiled slightly in Frank's direction."And don't think only of food, praetor. He may have other things to show."

"Who's going?" Thalia asked.

"Me," Percy said.

"I'm going if Hazel is," Frank said.

"Sure." Hazel smiled, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'll see what it's about." Reyna decided.

"And both of us will." Piper said, gesturing to herself and Jason.

"Then I will." Thalia said, shooting a smile at Jason.

They all turned to Nico, who shrugged."You really need to join more group activities," Piper said.

"Alright." He said."But there is something else. Clovis managed to contact me through his dreams."

Percy perked up. He felt a sudden stab of homesick, but pushed it away."What did he say?"

"Let't wait until Annabeth comes back." Reyna said firmly.

Percy shrugged and sat back down in his chair. He fell into conversation with various members of the 7, mostly talking about what was going on in Camp Half-Blood, because he had spent the last two years in Jupiter and only went back to the Greek side for the holidays. He had missed the rest of the 7; it was impossible to see all of them together after the war with Gaea. College consumed most of the year, so the only people he regularly hung out with were Annabeth, Frank, Hazel, and Reyna. Piper, Jason, and Nico sometimes visited, but Leo was usually too busy with Calypso. He had missed them.

It was a few minutes to dinner before Annabeth arrived, looking slightly worn. Percy brought her up to date on Slughorn's invitation, and sat next to her as Nico explained his dream. Apparently, he had been trying every night to contact the kids from the Hypnos Cabin, but with no luck. It was Clovis who managed a weak connection. Nico barley had enough time to explain that they were fine and were guests at Hogwarts before the dream failed. He promised to try again next night, but had little hope in contacting him; it was hard enough this time and probably wouldn't be any easier next time. Percy was slightly disappointed, he had been hoping to catch some news. By now, most other people had gone to dinner. Percy wanted to eat, since Slughorn's dinner was at 7, so he took his leave and departed with most of his friends a couple of Hogwarts stragglers. He enjoyed dinner, but didn't eat as much as he would have. Then he went out on Hogwarts grounds to sit with Annabeth, enjoying the peace and solitude of a quiet night. Percy lost track of time, and it was 7:26 when they finally found their way to Slughorn's office. By then, almost everyone had arrived. It was way larger then a normal teacher's office (then again, maybe Hogwarts' teacher's offices were this large by standard) and lavishly decorated, with a polished wooden table and plenty of comfortable seats. An extravagant crystal chandelier hung above an even more extravagant dinner. Percy's friends all sat by each other on the same side of the table, leaving two seats empty. The other side held students. The pair shared a looked, then took their seats. Reyna greeted them warmly. Slughorn looked up from his box and smiled."Welcome! I see you have come. Don't worry. Its natural to be a little late! First, I would liked to introduced you to a few students who will be joining us today." He pointed each one out as he introduced them."Blaise Zabini, Slytherin; have you heard his mother? One of the most beautiful witches in history! She was widowed seven times; left with plenty of gold-no? Very well, very well. Cormac McLaggen, Gryffindor-have you met him? Those two over there-Flora and Hestia Carrow, wonderful siblings. They're from Slytherin, you know. You've all met Hermione Granger, I assume; of course you have, wonderful mind, she has-ah, Melinda Bobbin! Charming girl, charming girl; and Ginny Weasley, Gryffindor; you've met her? Excellent! Then in this case, lets begin!"

"This was a mistake," Reyna muttered.

Percy frowned."What was a mistake?"

"Coming here!" Reyna said."I bet he'll ask questions-where we're from, what we're doing here-"

"All right, all right. I get your point." Percy interrupted.

"Half-truths, partial lies," Nico suggested. He was sitting on Reyna's other side; he always seemed to be near or around her. Percy watched him with a glint of mischief in his eyes. He would have to interrogate him later, but now, he had to enjoy his dinner. He was _starving_.

The food was even better than normal dinner at Hogwarts. It was fancier, rarer, and generally better. He tried to ignore the Hogwarts students, who, after so many days, were still looking at him curiously. As Reyna predicted, Slughorn started interrogating them right after they started, asking questions a little to personal."Ah…where to start, where to start…" Slughorn began."I could see you all have rare or unique talents, and that is why you are joining me for dinner today-"

"Could you explain what the 'Slug Club' is?" Thalia interrupted.

Slughorn blinked."Of course! When I started teaching…" And he started to explain the long history of the Slug Club. Percy found it mildly interesting, but ended up playing with his food all the way through. He did catch some lines like, "Why, even dear Gwenog Jones…" and "Now there was a talented boy!" and further ramblings about what seemed to be _all_ the members of the Slug Club ever. Even Annabeth lost interest.

Percy was almost relieved when Slughorn started questioning them. By then, the clock showed 7:45 and almost everyone was done with dinner. "So." Slughorn finally said after a stretch of silence. He looked up at the demigods."I hope you would be willing to answer a few questions of mine?"

"Not a problem," Piper said, though she had a reserved expression.

"Excellent!" Slughorn said."I do believe most of you are American?"

"I'm Chinese Canadian," Frank said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"African American," Hazel said.

"Italian," Nico said.

"Ah!" The Potions Master said."But you all go to the same school?"

Reyna shook her head."It's not exactly a school. More like a Summer Camp."

Slughorn nodded."May I ask who you're parents are?"

Frank shook his head."We all know only one parent," He said.

"Oh." Slughorn said uncomfortably."Oh, dear. I'm sorry to intrude-"

" _All_ of you?" Cormac interrupted.

"Yes," Nico turned his gaze on the Gryffindor, who lowered his eyes to the table. Nico smirked slightly.

"Perhaps you could shed some light on your… ah… _unique_ abilities?" Slughorn asked.

"They're nothing important," Hazel said."Quite minor, in fact,"

"But you could still demonstrate them, yes?" He asked eagerly.

"Best not to in such a tight space," Thalia advised. She raised an electrically charged hand spitting with static. The surprise was almost tangible as students and teacher made various noises of amazement.

"You could do that?" One (Percy forgot her name already) said.

Thalia raised an eyebrow."I think this is proof enough," She said."Or do you want more?" Her hand shot out to grip the girl's arm. She shrieked and jerked it back as the shock coursed though her body. She looking down at her shaking fingers, and Percy felt a stab of sympathy, remembering the times Thalia had done that to _him_.

"Thalia!" Piper said."Why did you do that?"

She shrugged."She wanted proof, so I gave her some."

The girl glared at her from across the table."You didn't have to _do_ that!" She snapped.

"Stop it!" Ginny said. They all fell silent.

"It's a shame you couldn't show us," Slughorn said."But at least you could still answer questions." Slughorn seemed to have an endless amount of questions, each of which they answered partially. Percy slipped several times, but luckily Annabeth was always there to save him. It was already 9:01 when Slughorn dismissed them."That was the most _boring_ thing I've ever attended." Percy said once they were out of earshot.

"For once, I agree with Percy," Annabeth said. They were all hurrying to their respective houses, lest Filch caught them (he couldn't give detention, but it was still rather unpleasant).

Percy dreamed that night, the first vision he had seen during is stay at Hogwarts. He saw Draco Malfoy in an unfamiliar room stacked high with precarious mountains of Broken furniture, old swords, stained battle-axes, vials of unknown substances, cracked eggs, caged long-dead creatures, and other things he knew nothing of. The Slytherin stood in front of a remarkably normal cabinet. Percy willed the dream forward and he zoomed in as Malfoy opened the cabinet and put an apple in. He closed it, muttered a spell, and waited. Percy waited with him, watching silent and invisible as Malfoy opened it to reveal the apple, only few slices missing from it.

Harry and Dumbledore were sailing on a boat far to small for both of them, headed towards a crystal island in the middle of a deathly black lake. The boat slid smoothly across the glassy surface, nearly causing a ripple, and the only light came from Dumbledore's illuminated wand.

Harry and Dumbledore were then standing on the island, gazing into the depths of an acid green potion glowing faintly in the dark. The Headmaster attempted several times to remove the concoction, but concluded that there was no way, and conjured a goblet from thin air. He dipped it into the potion, passing it to Harry, who raised it to Dumbledore's mouth. Percy tried to shout, _no!_ But his voice wouldn't work. The Headmaster toasted Harry, then drank. Percy waited for Dumbledore to drop dead or something equally horrible, but at first, nothing seemed to happen. He drank again and again, before he suddenly collapsed, screaming in pain. Percy watched helplessly as Harry desperately scooped up goblet after goblet, until the basin was empty.

Draco Malfoy pointed his own wand at Dumbledore's heart, his face frightened, hesitant.

A burst of green light illuminated the room, blinding Percy and snapping his awake yelling,"Dumbledore!"

* * *

 **Once again, sorry for the wait.**


	7. Chapter 7

**And the battle is here! Things are going to get quite intense, since the demigods aren't very skilled with combat against wizards/witches. Onwards! (Or read the reply.)**

 **Icyfox17: Jeez, that's a long review. First, you'll find out. Second, unusual powers aren't exactly rare in the wizarding world, and our demigods are quite settled in. They've been done no harm so far, so I think a little demonstration of power won't hurt. Third, Harry wasn't invited to any parties after the horcrux memory thing. And, no, you're not being rude. Sometimes, people just need to point a few things out for you.**

* * *

Reyna

"You saw a vision of the future?" Reyna asked. Lunch was over and the sky was cloudy; a perfect time to meet without curious stares. Since the common rooms were always packed, the demigods took this as a chance to be alone. Reyna sat with Nico and Piper flanking her sides.

"Yes," Percy confirmed. "Malfoy is up to something, as Harry had said. He and Dumbledore are going to embark on a dangerous quest-something that won't end well. And…and it seems to end with Dumbledore's death." Percy finished.

"More fighting…" Frank murmured.

"It will also reveal ourselves to the wizards," Piper said.

"But we've got no choice, as usual." Annabeth sighed. She played with the bit of coral Percy had given to her, rolling it in her fingers."Percy…did you see what they were after?"

Percy shook his head."Whatever it was, it was hidden. I don't understand what's so important about it, though."

Annabeth's eyes were stormy as she processed Percy's words."I've spent a lot of time in the library, learned a lot of things, but if Dumbledore took Harry with him, it _must_ have something to do with Voldemort, but what?"

"Something dark and dangerous, no doubt." Reyna said; Nico had found time to explain the whole Harry/Voldemort situation, so she wouldn't have to ask later.."We are incapable of not living in a dark and dangerous world." Hazel smiled slightly.

"Percy, please tell us the whole thing," Jason said.

Percy gave a simple explanation, starting from Malfoy's mysteriously half-peeled apple and ending with the flash of green light."Green light…"Annabeth mused. "That could mean a lot of spells. It will be something harmful, but it doesn't narrow it very far…I need to check the library."

"Not now!" Piper said."We've got other problems!"

"What if _this_ problem effects the whole world?" Annabeth asked.

"We still need your brain, Annabeth," Thalia said evenly."I'm sure you could find another time."

"All right," She relented."but it will help solve the puzzle."

"We should tell someone." Frank said. "If Dumbledore is going to die, we've got to do something."

"If Percy really saw a vision of the future, then preventing it would prove it false," Reyna argued."The dream would have shown Dumbledore alive-"

"We don't know hat the spell was, so Dumbledore might not die either way," Annabeth reminded her.

"I've read in the books that Dumbledore is the only wizard Voldemort fears. If they get a chance, they definitely _will_ kill him." Reyna said grimly."As I was saying, it would show Dumbledore alive."

"So we just leave him to die?" Jason said. He shook his head."I'm not standing back and _watching_ it happen. We need to warn him."

"I've done it before," Nico said."I could do it now."

"You'll do _nothing?_ " Hazel asked sharply.

Nico looked down at her."There is nothing we could do about fate. You should know this, Hazel."

Hazel bit her lip frustratedly."It just feels so…so _wrong,_ knowing we could prevent death and doing nothing about it."

Nico placed a hand on her shoulder, a rare physical show of comfort. He looked tat Reyna for support, who's dark eyes rested on each of the demigods in turn. "I know how you feel. As praetor of an entire camp, I have to think about everyone, not the wellbeing of just one. Dumbledore's death may be for the better. I don't like it. In fact, I hate it. But it's for a greater good."

Nico nodded appreciatively. "Thanks."

Percy frowned."But how could his death be _for the greater good?_ " He asked.

"I don't know," Nico said."None of us know. But we have to believe it's for the best."

Jason smiled."Since when did you give rousing speeches?" He asked, his voice teasing.

Nico glared at him, but it was half-hearted."Don't you dare, Grace,"

"I dare. Because I know you wouldn't actually hurt me."

The son of Hades rolled his eyes."We're getting off topic."

"Yes, we are. By general agreement, we won't tell anyone?" Thalia scanned the rest of them. Her electric blue eyes held no emotion.

Piper sighed."By general agreement," She muttered resentfully. Jason leaned closer to her.

"That's that, then," Percy decided.

"I'm going to the Quidditch pitch; loosen things up slightly." Jason said."Anyone coming with me?"

"I'll accompany you," Piper said.

"And I'll watch you fail," Thalia had a glint of mischief in her eyes. Piper tried to punch her, but the huntress dodged neatly away.

"Hold on," Reyna held up a hand."What's _Quidditch_?"

"I forgot you weren't here before." Jason said."Come. I'll show you." Jason rose to his feet, Piper and Thalia along with him. Reyna hesitated for a moment, then joined them. They walked all the way to the back of the castle, where a massive pitch stood. Towers rose from the stadium, each a different color and no doubt bearing seats for VIP spectators. The field itself was longer than it was wide and had three tall hoops of various hight planted on each side. Besides her, Jason was explaining the rules of the game, and Reyna began to see why he liked it. They first made a visit to a broom shed, where they tried to find the best of the school brooms, all of which were bad."How does this work?" Reyna asked, looking up and down an absolutely ancient and slightly ragged broomstick. _Shooting Star_ was written in flashy letters near the base."They fly," Piper said."I've never been good at them, though, especially on _these_."

That was interesting."How do you even…"

"Uh, lets get back to the pitch first," Jason said.

Flying on a broom was surprisingly comfortable. After two attempts at getting the broom to fly into her hand, Reyna successfully mounted it, though her balance _was_ pretty good in the first place. Then, under Jason's directions, shot up into the air with unexpected speed. Her dark brown hair whipped across her face and she pulled it back. She turned the broom sharply, guiding it with her hands, and found it was not so hard. Besides her, Jason darted towards the opposite end of the pitch, rolling in midair with a whoop. Piper went slower, and Thalia watched in the stands. Reyna looked down at the broom. It was almost like flying an eagle. _Or a Pegasus,_ Her mind went on. Reyna felt a sudden stab of melancholy, but pushed it away. Forcing the image of a caramel-brown bird-winged horse back into the depths, she urged the broom forwards. Wind rushed past her ears as the old thing shot forward with startling speed, catching Reyna off guard. It wasn't quite as fast as Scipio could manage, but, for such an ancient thing, it could manage a lot. The hoops flew closer and closer, until Reyna jerked upwards and found herself soaring high into the vast gray expanse."Reyna!" Piper yelled from below."Don't fly so high! The broom wouldn't be able manage!"

"Got it!" Reyna yelled. She twisted around and guided the broom into a dive. Air roared past her face, whipping her hair around, her Camp Jupiter t-shirt snapping back and forth. She had missed the feeling of flight; she hadn't been on the back of an eagle or Pegasus ever since Blackjack had offered to fly her to Camp Half-Blood.

The two praetors on the field began a game, basically just one person defending the hoops and another scoring. Jason was, predictably, a natural at flying, and was able to perform several dangerous moves, and was winning twenty minutes later, with the score being 3:8, but Reyna was gaining. She studied Jason as she flew, noting the way he hovered in the central hoop, or the way he executed his fancy maneuvers. By the time they touched the ground, Score-Keeper Thalia announced it was 15:18, with Reyna losing by just three points. Piper smiled."Your good, Reyna," She said. "Better than I am, and this is my third time on a broom."

The praetor shrugged, dismounting."We train on eagles in Camp Jupiter, learning to guide them and fight on them. You use Pegasi, I know, but as far as I recall, you were never to good at it?"

Piper shook her head."Never."

Thalia came over from the stands, smiling."Nice flying, praetor."

"Why didn't you join us?" Reyna asked, tilting her head.

Jason smiled."Thalia is afraid of heights, ironically." The Hunter glared at him, and the Roman shot off across the pitch with his sister chasing him. Reyna smiled as she watched the siblings run along the length of the field. Thalia was rapidly gaining, at least until Jason shot into the sky, just out of her reach.

"Jason! Thalia! Get back here!" Piper yelled.

All along the way, the two dodged and ducked, shocking each other whenever possible."Man…Your faster than I remembered," Jason muttered, rubbing his arms. Hungry and exhausted, they deposited their brooms and headed for Gryffindor Common Room.

They found Percy first, lounging on an armchair, toasting a charred black muffin on a poker. He had probably dozed off. All around them, older students were writing their homework and moaning about how much they had to do.

"Percy?" Piper said.

He made a grunt, dropping the poker. The muffin had started to catch fire. Cinders floated onto the carpet, and edges flared with fire.

"Percy!" Thalia snapped. "Your muffin is burning."

"Huh?" His opened one sea-green eye. "Your back." He mumbled. Then he caught sight of the flames and yelped, snatching up the poker once again. Water rose from a water jug, but he let it drop, remembering that they were surrounded by wizards. A student yelled,

"Aguamenti!" And a jet of water flew towards the fire, drenching the carpet and extinguishing the flames with a hiss."There," He said, wide awake now."All better." He removed the muffin from the red hot poker, tore off a burnt chunk and tossed it into the fire, and began eating the not-so-charred half.

"So… what's up?" He asked, as if nothing had happened.

Jason shrugged."Nothing's up."

"You're not going to brag about winning at Quidditch _again_?" Thalia asked.

Jason glanced at her."No. Why would I?"

She shrugged."I don't know,"

"No, I wouldn't,"

"If you say so,"

"I say so."

"Were are Annabeth, Nico, Frank and Hazel?" Reyna cut in.

Percy shrugged."Exploring the grounds."

At that moment, the portrait hole opened and Ron rushed in, stumbling. He was holding a piece of parchment and had an excited look on his face. Hermione and Harry crawled through after him, looking equally enthusiastic.

"What's going on?" Piper asked.

"Just got a letter from mum." Ron said breathlessly, skidding to a halt next to Percy's chair. Harry muttered a spell that seemed to have absolutely no effect, as far as Reyna could see."I told her about you guys in some letters, and she invited you guys over to the Burrow for the summer, since you have no where else to go."

"Uhh…the Burrow?" Percy asked.

"Ron's house," Harry explained.

"Why is it called the Burrow, then?" Jason asked.

None of them were able to answer that."Um, anyway, you'll be introduced to a few new people there, some of which have slight… _problems_." Hermione said.

"What _problems_?" Reyna asked sharply.

Harry hesitated."Well…there's Remus Lupin-"

"After Remus?" Reyna inquired, suddenly interested."Like, Romulus and Remus?"

"Yeah…anyway, he's, well… he's a werewolf." Hermione finished nervously.

Reyna blinked."A minion of Lycaon named after a demigod raised by Lupa? They are sworn enemies."

"The gods don't exist here," Thalia reminded her.

"I assume the werewolves you're accustomed to are different?" Hermione asked.

Percy nodded."I've never met Lycaon myself, but Thalia, Jason, Piper, Leo, Reyna, and Nico have. They could tell you about it. Anyway, he's the first werewolf ever. Greek werewolves could change from man to wolf when they want, and their bites spread Lychythope-"

"Lycanthrope," Reyna corrected.

Percy waved it aside."Lupa's wolves are the good guys. So, generally, all werewolves are bad."

"That _is_ different," Harry said."Here, werewolves only appear on a full moon, and they have no control over their minds. Until recently, there has been no way of preventing it, until the Wolfsbane Potion was made."

Reyna nodded."I take it that Wolfsbane doesn't actually _heal_ a werewolf?"

"No," Ron said.

"We're getting off topic," Hermione said hastily."The point is, we need your permission."

"Well, we've got no where else," Percy said."So…yes." No one argued.

Harry burst through the portrait hole of the Gryffindor Common Room, sweating. This time, all the demigods were gathered. Reyna, Nico, Annabeth, and Piper were chatting in a corner, Frank was still eating an eclair, curled with Hazel, Percy and Thalia were talking, Ron and Hermione seemed to be arguing. They all turned to Harry. "Harry! What is it?" Ron asked.

"I don't have time to explain, just give me a moment," Harry said breathlessly. He turned, jerked open the door, and disappeared.

"O-o-o-o-okay," Percy said."What was that about?"

Frank shrugged."Dunno."

Then Harry came hurtling down with his silvery invisibility cloak, an ancient looking piece of parchment, and a pair of revolting socks. He shoved them into Ron's hands. "Its tonight. Whatever Malfoy is planning, he succeeded. Gather who you can of the DA, guard the Room of Requirement and Snape's office. Felix is in those socks." He instructed.

"By where are you going?" Hermione asked.

"I'm going with Dumbledore," Harry's expression said, _Not in front of them._ Piper put her face in her hands and Hazel closed her eyes; they all knew it would all go wrong. Harry caught their expressions and frowned."What?" He asked. Piper looked up and Hazel's eyes snapped open.

"Nothing," Frank said, too quickly.

Hermione stared suspiciously at each of them, noting Percy's guilty expression, Annabeth's steeled gray eyes, Thalia's slight unease, and Reyna's emotionless mask. But Hermione let it go."Be safe, Harry," Piper said.

He nodded."I will." He hugged both Ron and Hermione, nodded to the rest of them, then donned the cloak and disappeared. The portrait swung open and shut without a trace of anyone there.

"Right,"Hermione said."Frank, you search for members of the DA, all right?" She snatched the piece of parchment from Ron's hand and tapped it with her wand, muttering,"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."Lines bloomed from where the wand touched, splitting and crisscrossing into a detailed map of Hogwarts. Dots swarmed the corridors, each labeled with a name. Frank studied it, then turned and pushed open the portrait hole, disappearing."We need to split into teams,"Hermione continued."But let's wait until Frank comes back."

Only two members of the DA answered the call, the two who missed it most: Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister, Neville Longbottom, who Reyna had seen one or twice before, and a Ravenclaw named Luna Lovegood. She had dirty blonde hair and large silvery eyes with a permanently surprised expression. Odd radish-like earrings hung from her ears, but Reyna decided not to comment."That's everyone?" Ron asked, slightly crestfallen.

"Apparently," Thalia said."Get on with it, we don't have all night,"

Hermione nodded."Frank did see Order members patrolling the corridors, but we'll worry about them later. Thalia and Jason, find a suitable place where you have access to the sky. Percy, you and Annabeth stick where you like, preferably somewhere with water; though the lake is a little far. Nico and Hazel, you watch Snape's office with Ginny. Frank, go with Ron and Luna. Guard the Room of Requirement. Reyna, you'll be with me and Neville. Got it?"

Everyone nodded assent. They split up into groups."Don't go too far from your stations," Reyna said.

"Yeah, yeah." Percy muttered.

The wizards and the demigods moved out as one, splitting up as they took the appropriate directions to their positions. Reyna took a detour, going up to her room and donning her imperial gold armor, sweeping her Aegis across her shoulders.

"What are we doing?" Reyna asked once she joined them.

Hermione stared for a moment, looking slightly intimidated."Patrolling the corridors," she said, finally."Of course, there are Order members here, but the more the better."

The usual Hogwarts' activity was absent, leaving the halls still and silent. Occasionally, students rushed past, hurrying back to their Common Rooms. Even they seemed to know something was going on. Reyna had her imperial gold sword in hand. Her muscles were tense, her eyes restless. Portraits and suits of armor tracked their movements, and Reyna winced slightly every time the helmets creaked. The tension was high in the air. They hesitated at every corner, unwilling to be surprised. Both Reyna and Hermione jumped when Neville crashed into a suit of armor; the clattering sound alarmingly loud in the silent corridors."Gods of Rome, Neville," Reyna hissed."Could you avoid tripping on things?"

"Sorry!" He whispered back.

"Come on." Hermione said."Filch would be on our trail in seconds." To late. A dusty gray cat with luminous yellow eyes appeared out of the shadows. Reyna cursed, then lunged, bringing the pommel of her sword down on the cat's head. Mrs. Norris crumpled without a sound.

"Reyna!" Hermione said."Why did you do that?"

"I had to do _something_ ," She retorted."Besides, I didn't even hit that hard." Neville stared down at the gray heap as if imagining himself like that.

"We have to go." Hermione said. So they hurried away from the scened. Reyna didn't like it. She expected an attack at every turn, and yet there was nothing to attack. The silence was making her uncomfortable, the atmosphere, tense. They patrolled endless corridors, ascended the stairs, helping Neville escape the trick stairs. Not until they reached the seventh floor did anything happen. As they neared, the sounds of battle became apparent, spurring the group on. Reyna, Hermione, and Neville raced down the rest of the stairs and through the corridors, emerging into chaos. Jets of light flew in every direction. Cloaked figures fought against a small force-the Order of the Phoenix, Reyna assumed. A massive eagle flew above their heads, his talons clutching a flailing Death Eater. It hardly had the space to fly, but Frank kept his wings tucked close. The demigod, the witch, and the wizard shared one glance, then plunged into battle head-on. Reyna's tattoo seared as she lended whatever strength she could give-courage, determination, endurance. She deflected a spell with her sword and ducked two more, coming face-to-face with a Death-Eater. If he had hesitated a split second longer, he would have crumpled to the ground. Instead, he came out of his surprise just in time and threw up a shield, forcing Reyna back. Her gladius elongated into a pillum and she stuck the shield, bringing it down it three hits, using her cloak to deflect bolts. The Death Eater fired a purple and she ducked, then swept the Aegis around, sending spells ricocheting back to their casters. An Order member took over from their, and Reyna spun around, assessing the battle. She dodged a bolt and deflected another, but her sword ripped itself out of her grip and fell to the ground with a clatter. Reyna cursed and seized her dagger, lunging at the blade. A Death Eater snatched it up and she bowled him over, her dagger swinging down. He jerked his head away and the hilt glanced off the of his head, plunging into the floor. A flick of his wand sent her flying across the room, and she tucked into a hasty roll, hitting the ground hard enough to knock her breath out. Reyna staggered up, winded. Her dagger was still in her hand. A young, pink-haired woman darted towards her, concern on her face."Are you OK?" She yelled above the din.

Reyna nodded."I'm alright."

Then the woman's eyes widened."DUCK!" She screamed.

But instead of dodging, Reyna spun around. A green bolt of energy hurtled towards her face from across the room, its caster grinning malevolently. And there was no time to escape what the spell brought.

* * *

 **HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, I'm so evil…**


	8. Chapter 8

**UPDATED, read at bottom AN**

 **I'm sorry guys, but school has been KILLER. I get off at 4:30, when we get home, it's nearly 5, and by then, the only things I could manage is watch a few vids, eat dinner, and get about 10 minutes of reading time before I have to go to bed. Soooo…yeah. Just…don't kill me, OK?**

 **piggy waffles: Umm, what?**

 **Icyfox17: Its just so fun to torture people, eh?**

 **Guest: Well, here it is!**

 **Evermore 101: But cliffies are fun!… Aren't they?**

 **Evettege: Glad to hear it *grin***

* * *

Frank

Frank walked the corridors with Ginny and Luna, his eyes restless. His gladius was in hand, and he was tense and alert for anything unusual. His companions had their wands drawn, and were equally vigilant. They were all watching, waiting for something to happen. Frank wished he had Hazel with him, but she did best on the ground floor and below, being a child of Pluto. Ginny wasn't bad company, but Luna seemed half-mad, though he would never say it out loud. At one point, she kept swatting her ears, and when he had asked her about it, she'd said there was a wrackspurt floating around. Ginny had given him a look that said _don't ask_ , and explained that Luna was a little odd. Nothing happened for a long time. They kept their voices hushed and talked seldom. They were near the corridor in which the Room of Requirement was and just about to round the corner when a small black thing shaped like a rock flew from nowhere, hitting the ground and exploding into inky darkness. Frank backpedalled, but the darkness did nothing but obscure his vision. Swatted blindly with his sword was no use, as he found out, so he simply closed his eyes and concentrated, trying a morph he had never though of before: a griffin. Instantly, his mouth elongated into a beak and feathers sprouted from his head. His skin melted into fur, his hands curved into wicked talons, and wings sprang from his back. He dropped down, and, using keen ears and a sharp nose, tracked the Death Eaters as best he could. He tried desperately to gauge the distance and time his leap; he had never done this in his life. Footsteps right in front of him. Frank crouched, praying to the gods that it will work, then cutting himself off, remembering that the gods do not exist. He lunged blindly into the gloom, his claws extended, his wings instinctively stretching, carrying him further than he expected. His left wing scraped painfully against the wall and he jerked it in, careening to one side. He landed half on top of a Death Eater, slamming him into the ground and crushing him under his weight. He let out a strangled cry, which was cut short as the griffin cuffed him hard in the head. Frank tried to orientate himself, finding his footing and carefully tucking his injured wing close to his flank. A red spell hurtled from the gloom and bounced off his shoulder, dissipating. Frank blinked down at it, then charged, slamming head-long into another Death Eater and bringing him to the ground. Spells flew from seemingly no-where, and Frank dodged them the best he could, but the corridor was small for a creature like him. A bolt struck him in the leg and a he collapsed, screaming as invisible hands tickled his entire body. Focusing was near-impossible, but he collected his mind and managed to morph into a lion. The effects wore off and he staggered to his feet, but another spell brought him crashing down, his body completely frozen. He tried to morph, but he was stuck, unable to shift. The darkness was now rapidly dissipating, and Frank could just pick out several shapes rounding a corner. Several seconds past, then Ginny and Luna darted around the corner, stopping abruptly at his side. Luna pulled out her wand and muttered a spell, and Frank unfroze. He turned back into a human, wincing slightly as his arm gave off a painful twinge."Come one," He said."We have to warn someone."

Ginny nodded. "We'll use the ghosts." They ran along the corridors in the opposite direction of the Death Eaters. Before long, they spotted the a ghost gliding towards them with a concerned expression.

"The Fat Friar,"Ginny said."Send word to the Order that the Death Eaters penetrated Hogwarts. Quickly!" The ghost nodded, and, without saying a word, disappeared through the wall. The group waited in tense silence. Frank was, for the first time, glad he had gotten lactose intolerance instead of ADHD. For him, staying still wasn't too hard. Still, he fidgeted with his clothes, nervous. At long last, the Fat Friar appeared at the end of the hall, leading a bunch of adults. He drifted over to them."The Death Eaters are on the seventh floor."

The now-larger group rushed as one to the seventh floor. A grizzled man with a terrifying electric blue eye stared at Frank as they ran, and no matter where he went, the orb seemed to follow him. He slowed to fall in pace with Ginny."Who is that guy?" He asked quietly, gesturing towards him. Ginny looked up.

"That's Mad-Eye Moody; former Auror at the Ministry. He's paranoid, but good to have on your side."

Frank nodded."What's with the eye?" He asked.

"He once had a real eye; don't know what happened. It could see in all directions and through solid objects invisibility cloaks and disillusionment charms and that sort stuff."

Frank nodded, unsettled. Ahead, Mad-Eye call for silence. They had reached the second floor. With care, they crept silently down the corridors, tense and alert. Frank wished his friends hadn't been so scattered. Mad-eye saw them through a wall, and they pressed against the walls. A group of dark-robed silver-masked Death Eaters hurried by, and, at Moody's signal, charged out to intercept them.

Reyna

Reyna watched, motionless, as the spell hurtled towards her. Time seemed to slow. A lion roared, but the sound was muted. Somehow, she knew this spell would bring certain death. Suddenly, she could see tiny details that would have been lost on the fighting. The bolts of energy weren't very smooth at all. The Death Eaters's masks were intricately detailed. A mouse lay dead on the floor, perhaps killed by some spell. Death rushed closer and closer, and she regretted it. The Camp need her. So did her friends. What afterlife was there in this land? Would she make it? A gold blur slammed into her, driving her to the ground with sickening force. Snapping out of her trance, Reyna lashed out blindly with her dagger, but froze just as the blade cut the side of the lion's face. _Frank_. She pushed at his chest and he scrambled, shrinking into a human. He had a panicked look on his face."Reyna-"

"Later," She snapped. Then she caught the hurt looked on his face."I appreciate you saving me, Frank, but now is not the time to discuss it!" He nodded, disappearing into the crowd. Reyna deflected a bolt with her dagger, her eyes darting around until they found her Gladius; a Death Eater was holding on to it. She charged, delivering a vicious kick to the back. He yowled and dropped her sword, which she snatched up, spun around, and smashed the hilt into the back of his head. He crumpled, leaving a very surprised Order member staring at her. Reyna dodged a spell spun the Aegis around to deflect another. She sheathed her dagger and ran at to aid a gnarled one-eyed man, who was dueling two at once. One of the Death Eaters spun around and his eyes widened. He shot a flurry of multicolored bolts, and Reyna did her best to avoid them, but it was quite impossible. He was shooting spells indiscriminately. A jet of light finally managed to slip through her defenses, and her muscles when rigid. Her entire body froze, and collapsed to the floor. The Death Eater bared down at her, smiling malevolently. Then a spell hit him in the flank and he was blasted into the far wall, where he crumpled. The pink-haired woman darted past, her wand raised. Reyna's eyes darted around; for the first time in years, she was slightly panicked. _How long before it wears off?_ She wondered. A heavily lidded woman with a mountain of dark hair shouted a command, and the Death Eaters turned to flee with bolts hurtling after them and an enraged lion snapping at their feet. Luna Lovegood hurried over to Reyna, muttering a spell. Reyna's body unfroze. She caught herself as her body when limp, and pushed herself up in a fluent motion. The last of the Death Eaters fled, and the dark-haired woman, who was the last of them, flicked her wand. It seemed to do nothing, but she smiled triumphantly. Then she turned to follow the rest of the Eaters.

"After them!" Moody roared. A man with gray-streaked hair and aged face charged, but slammed into an invisible wall. He fell back, but the pink-haired woman caught him. Reyna squeezed past the pair and experimentally touched the wall, then raised her Gladius and smashed it into the barrier. The blade bounced off and Reyna stumbled back as the momentum pushed her. She shook her head.

"Unbreakable by any means I know of," She said. Frank shrugged.

"I could turn into a dragon and try, but this is to small."

"We'll just have to find a spell that works," Ginny said. He fiery hair was ruffled and she had a cut on her cheek, but otherwise, she seemed fine. Reyna stepped back to allow them room, and leaned against a wall with Frank. She watched the wizards work, trying various spells that seemed to have no effect. Her hand fiddled with the edge of her cloak. Eventually, Ginny gave up and stomped towards her, an irritated expression on her face.

"How is it?" Reyna asked.

"Not well," Ginny almost snapped. She looked up at Reyna."But I've got a few questions for you."

The Roman eyed her warily."Ask; but I won't necessarily answer."

She didn't seem deterred."First, Frank turned into a griffin, and I though 'animagus'. But then he was able to turn into a lion and a giant eagled, and claimed he could turn into a dragon. What was that about?"

"I couldn't explain without telling you the whole thing, and we don't have time, Ginny." Frank said.

"Tell me!" She demanded. Reyna could see it was not helping her mood. Frank looked to her, and she shrugged. Sighing, he said,

"I'm a son Periclymenus the Argonaut. He was could turn into whatever animal he wanted, an ability gifted to him by Poseidon. And that gift was passed down to me."

Ginny's eyebrows shot up."Poseidon?" She asked incredulously.

Frank spread his hands."See? I can't explain something without explaining everything."

Before Ginny could respond, the pink-haired woman walked over to them, looking dejected."There's nothing that would work," She reported."Moody's decided we try and find the Death Eaters as they try to escape."

"And how are we going to do that?" Reyna asked. The woman shrugged."Moody thinks we could try and intercept them as they trey to escape, but Hogwarts has numerous exits. It's impossible."

"We could still try." Reyna said, lifting her Gladius."There's always the chance we'll meet up."

Thalia

(Time skip, because its hard to write that section and I really don't want to keep you waiting.)

The Death Eaters burst from the door, flooding out with Snape in the lead, half-dragging Draco Malfoy. Snape! Thalia gritted her teeth. The traitor. Besides her, Jason shot into the air, his Gladius drawn. Thalia nocked an arrow and aimed. Dark clouds gather overhead, and thunder boomed. Lightning crackled down and hit the arrowhead, and she the let the projectile loose, charged with lightning. Snape threw up a shield, and the arrow glanced off. Another figure raced from the doors and started casting spells at Snape, yelling about his cowardice. A Death Eater darted forwards to help, but Snape shouted,"No! This one is for the Dark Lord. Leave him!"

The Death Eater turned and fled with the rest of them. Jason shot towards Snape, and Thalia turned to the fleeing shapes in the dark. Lightning flashed again and again, overwhelming the small group. They attempted to cast shields, but it wasn't easy while they ran. A bolt blasted one into the sky, and he fell screaming. A giant shape fought against then well, until someone shot a burst of flames and set a nearby hut on fire. The giant yelled,"Fang's in there ye-" But whatever he was going to say, it was lost in the general confusion. The giant smashed at the Death Eaters, and they scattered, running into the gloom. Thalia turned towards Jason, but couldn't see him. Hopefully he was all right. She rushed towards the figure dueling Snape, and saw it was Harry. His face was anguished and his mouth was twisted in a snarl. Thalia watched as Snape summoned some sort of whip and lashed his across the face, bringing him down. She rushed to help, but Snape whirled unexpectedly and cast a spell. Her body locked into place mid-stride, and no matter what she did, she couldn't move. Snape turned back to Harry and exchanged a few words she couldn't hear. Then he turned and darted across the field. The shape of a hippogriff rose, beating powerful wings as it pursued Snape. But it was a little to late. As Snape reached the edge of the borders, he simply vanished into thin air. Thalia watched as Harry stumbled towards the giant, who helped support him. She couldn't hear what they said, but they both turned towards the flaming hut and shot twin jets of water, dousing the inferno. For a time, the pair just stood there. Thalia felt herself unfreeze and she rose to join them. She acknowledged Jason as he fell in step besides her. Harry and the giant set off towards the base of the Astronomy Tower, and the children of the sky god followed suit, curious of what was there. Abruptly, the giant started making loud trumpeting sounds. He was crying, Thalia realized. She approached them silently with Jason right behind, and she saw the cause of the distress. Lying at the foot of the tower was a tall, white-bearded man with half-moon spectacles and an ever-serene face. Dumbledore. Dumbledore was dead. She never really knew him. He was old, wise, and slightly eccentric, but powerful, too. She almost felt safe with him leading the school, in a way she had never been, until she had joined the Hunters. She had never felt safe around her mother, and defiantly not when she ran the wild all by herself. She had felt insecure in Camp Half-Blood, being the daughter of Zeus, always expected to live up to their expectations as leader. She had belonged nowhere, until she became a Hunter. Thalia bowed her head, feeling a certain degree of loss. She turned to Harry, who had bright tears rolling down his cheeks. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he tensed, as if he wanted to shrug it off. But he didn't.

"I understand," Thalia whispered softly, as rows upon rows of students gather in a half-circle around them. Tears broke out. Cries filled the air. Harry looked down at her, and she saw the loss in his eyes. He had suffered too much, and wasn't much younger than Thalia. She squeezed lightly, then let go, standing still and silent. Harry looked back down, fresh tears running the paths of the old ones. Unearthly music filled the air, soft and mournful. A crimson-gold bird flew above their heads, singing a lament of unbearable sadness. Thalia listened carefully as the phoenix flew out of sight, his song echoing across the grounds and resonating in her heart. _Even the phoenix sings_ , She thought. Besides her, the giant said gruffly,

"Come on, Harry."

"No." Harry said, resisting the giant as he pulled on his arm.

"Ye must rest."

"No."

Then someone pushed through the crowd and gently grasped his hand."Come, Harry," She said, leading his gently away. Thalia recognized her as Ginny. Harry obediently stepped away from Dumbledore's body, and the pair walked steadily across the grounds. Thalia looked around, realizing she was with the rest of the demigods. Besides her, Jason had his head bowed. Piper had tears in her kaleidoscope eyes, threatening to spill. Percy and Annabeth were hugging, and Frank held a teary Hazel close. Reyna stood close to Nico, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. She gazed off into the distance, her face unreadable. Little by little, the crowd scattered, called to tasks and moving because of the inability to stay still. The lament of the phoenix still echoed across the grounds. The demigods returned to their respective dormitories, where they rested. Thalia settled with Jason, Piper, Percy, Annabeth, and Reyna. A heavy silence coated the Common Room. Thalia ended up falling asleep on the couches, and woke the next day refreshed, but still holding a sense of heaviness. She dragged herself up to greet the dawn, and exited the Common Room silently, restlessly prowling the halls. The teachers where already up and fixing the damage done to Hogwarts, and she watched as they preformed the various tasks. She wandered into the great hall, where a few scattered students where having breakfast. The notice board caught eye, and she wandered to it. A slip informed her that all students are exempt of classes, O.W.L's, and N.E.W.T's. A funeral would take place in the afternoon, and all students are required to wear their best robes. Thalia wondered if it was appropriate for someone to be buried in-or near-a school, but she had no objection. It seemed fitting. She sat down in the Gryffindor table and started eating, wondering what would happen now. Dumbledore was gone, Voldemort was most definitely back, and the world is about to be thrown into chaos. _Again_. Why her? She wondered. Why all of them? Hadn't they been through enough? Silently, she cursed the gods, or the Fates, or _whatever_ had brought them here. _Why?_

The day was bright, sunny, and cheerful, which was the exact opposite of the school. Bumblebees buzzed around the flowers. Birds sang. A massive squid swan lazily across the surface of the lake. Thalia sat in the third row of white seats, Jason on her left and Annabeth on her right. Hundreds of people had gathered to mourn, some she knew, and most she didn't. She wasn't very alarmed by the arrival of a massive woman that matched Hagrid's hight (yes, she did just learn his name) via enormous blue chariot pulled by towering palomino pegasi. Before her was Dumbledore's corpse lying on a plain table, his wand by his side. A tiny man stood on a dais and recited a long speech about the life and heroics of Dumbledore, and Thalia listened closely. She had never realized just how important Dumbledore was; he was the only person Voldemort feared. And now, he was gone. Faces surfaced in the waters, and the huntress turned to see a group of ragged haired, feral-eyed mermaids. They sang screechy songs that didn't sound like much, but Thalia picked up their intentions. They were singing for the loss. From the edge of the forest, a heard of centaurs emerged, bows in hand. Thalia tensed as they lifted their weapons to the sky, and the people around panicked as a cloud of arrows thunked into the earth just short of Dumbledore's body. The centaur's tribute. Finally, when the little man was done with his speech, a burst of flames surrounded the body and the table. When the flames dies down, a white coffin lay in its place; the final resting place of Albus Dumbledore. A crimson-gold, swan-sized bird flew across the grounds, flapping to perch on Thalia's shoulder. Murmurs of surprise ran through the crowd. Thalia raised a hand and tentatively touched the side of his head. Fawks cooed. The Hunter smiled up at the bird. One adventure was over. More would surely come.

* * *

 **Scrap the 27 reviews thing. Chapter will come out sometime 27 reviews or not, though PLEASE share your thoughts with us.**

 **P.S, I'm still sorry about the delay. Like everybody, school has started for us.**

 **P.P.S, did that seem rushed? If so, I'm sorry. Next chapter will also include the funeral.**


	9. The long awaited and final Chapter 9

**Here I am, finally. It's been a long time, I know, and I bet your all annoyed at me. If so, I'm really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, sorry. Just…don't murder me, and I'd appreciate it. Hopefully this chapter will be little more light-hearted, because it's going to get pretty grim later.**

 **miss mysteri: wut.**

 **Okay, so here is an outline of what we're going to do the next month. We're going to our grandparent's home again, and they have no WIFI, so don't expect too many updates. Then, once we come back, we need to start preparing to leave the country we're in, China, to Louisville, KY.**

 **Also, we have no school right now, so we can't say that we're busy. Mostly, I've found no motivation to write, and my sister, she's been writing other random stuff, which she never completes, so really, we have no excuse, and I would like to thank you for your patience.**

 **Enjoy, and have a happy Thanksgiving**

* * *

Jason

Their trunks were packed, their pets found, their letters received about not doing magic outside of school. At least, for the students of Hogwarts. Jason just hung around with his friends, enjoying lunch for (possibly) the last time here, and trying to live his life as normally as it could get for a demigod.

Except life was not going great. Not really. The threat of Voldemort dampened the mood of the entire school; the atmosphere was subdued. After Dumbledore's funeral, everyone packed their things and turned for the train station at Hogsmead, with the nine demigods following them. The red-and-black steam train was already there, ready to take them to King's Cross Station. The students filed in and Jason squeezed in with his friends and found himself in…a regular train. A long corridor led left and right, and doors cut through the wall at regular intervals. Many of them were already packed with students. The floor was carpeted and the ceiling hung with lamps.

"We'll have to leave from here," Hermione said apologetically.

Percy blinked."Why?"

"We're prefects."

"Oh."

"But we will come over for lunch," Ron added.

"That'll be great," Harry agreed.

So they split up; the prefects headed for the front of the train, the rest moving towards the back.

What with the shock of last night and the funeral, they hadn't gotten many stares, but now, wherever they went, heads turned towards their direction, curious and fascinated and a little apprehensive. The attention was enough to make Jason feel a little uncomfortable, even though it has happened plenty of times before. When he'd first arrived in Camp Jupiter, everyone had treated him like he was some sort of prince. They stared in awe. Whispered to one another when they thought he wasn't paying attention. But at least they were familiar with the whole thing, in general. The Hogwarts students were clueless. They probably had never seen such abilities. Despite this, Jason held his head high, meeting the stares until they looked away (and, in the case of most girls, blushed so hard they looked ready to explode any moment).

Piper and Hazel looked the most uncomfortable. They ducked their heads and avoided eye contact, though it was hardly helping, and Frank looked self-conscious, though he had been a praetor for a while now.

All the compartments were full except the ones at the very back. One student occupied it. It was the girl who had met them in the Gryffindor common room to fight, the one with dirty blond hair, reddish earrings, and a permanently surprised expression. She looked up from an up-side-down magazine as Thalia slid open the door. Jason had to rack his brains to remember her name."It's Luna, right?" He asked.

She nodded serenely."That's right."

"Uh…why are you reading a magazine up side down?" Frank asked.

She blinked down at it."Oh…it says there's a hidden spell in the runes that will turn your ears into radishes if you read it this way."

"Just when I thought she couldn't get any weirder." Frank muttered.

"Hey, be nice," Hazel chided.

Luna didn't seem the least bit offended. She just stared at Frank until he shuffled his feet and lowered his gaze. Then her eyes drifted to the rest of them like they were each a new type of alien species she had not yet discovered.

Harry cleared his throat."Can we sit here, Luna?" He asked.

"Of course," She said, and they filed in. Sitting took a little squeezing. Jason was squashed next to the window next to Thalia. Next was Hazel and then Nico, who looked so uncomfortable Jason almost laughed. Across from Jason was Piper, next to her, Annabeth and Percy, and then Frank, who was trying his best not to crush Reyna into the wall. Harry squeezed in between Nico and Luna.

They were harassed the whole trip. Student after student bombarded them with questions of their powers, where they came from, what their camp necklaces/SPQR tattoos meant, and a bunch of other questions that nosed a little to far in for their comfort. Jason didn't want to be rude, and tried to make it clear they didn't want the attention, but he was saved the effort by Nico. He drew his sword and barked at them to back off, and, just to show off, sent clouds of darkness chasing after them, all of them shaped like skeletal hands. Piper frowned at the last part.

"That's exactly the reason why people are uncomfortable around you, Nico. Maybe you should stop doing those types of things."

The son of Hades shrugged, sheathing his blade. Hazel and Harry leaned away as he did so, which ended up with Jason feeling like he'd finally achieved being one with the wall for a few uncomfortable seconds. Luna's eyes bulged further as she was pushed back, and Percy and Thalia cracked up at their expressions. Jason shot his sister a playful glared she grinned. Even Nico cracked a smile, his obsidian eyes dancing with amusement.

The rest of the journey passed in a blur of laughter. It was the first time they could shrug off their worries and have fun together since they came, and Jason hasn't realized how much he'd needed it until then. There was so much pushing that Jason felt for sure that he'd go flying out of the train with a demigod-shaped hole punched into the wall, but at least he wasn't the only one being jostled. They sang rowdy campfire songs until a couple of prefects came over and forced them to stop (though their mouths were twitching with amusement). Then they settled for joking around, but apparently that was too much as well, because they received several irritated guests who had come to complain about the noise. The lunch trolley arrived right after they left, and they bought huge stack of well…everything-cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, pumpkin pastries, licorice wands, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Jelly Slugs, and Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Jason tried one type after the next, taking heed of Harry's word about being careful with the beans. Ron and Hermione dropped in as they promised, but had to remain standing.

They dug into the Every Flavored Beans as a group, each one announcing the flavor they got.

"Green apple," Piper said.

"Cinnamon," Frank decided.

"Cherry," Percy declared.

Annabeth was not so lucky. She chose a pink one, and the moment she started chewing, she made a face and hastily swallowed it."Ugh. That was disgusting."

"What?" Percy asked.

"Raw meat."

"Ooooh," Percy said as Piper grimaced. The rest broke out laughing. Annabeth blushed slightly, but she joined them in the fun.

Harry went next. He chose a green one and received seaweed, which, he assured them, was pretty good compared to many of the other flavors.

Thalia was reluctant to try one, but she picked a white one and popped it into her mouth."Ice cream!" She announced gleefully."Mine's better than any of your's!"

"We're not done yet," Annabeth said.

Hazel went next, and chose another white bean. She gagged the moment she started chewing, and looked on the verge of spitting it out.

"What, what, what?" Percy asked.

"Sea salt," She muttered.

"Captain Salt Water." Reyna said, which renewed the laughter.

Ron and Hermione also decided to join in on the contest, each taking a bean. Ron examined his, a pale yellow colored bean.

"Hope it's not bogies again." He said, and popped it into his mouth, and instantly gagged. "Pine sap!" He finally managed to exclaim.

"That should have ben yours, Pinecone Face!" Percy said.

"Rub it in, Kelp Face." Thalia grumbled."Make fun of my choice to sacrifice my life and grant my friends safety."

They then all turned to Hermione next. She had picked out a emerald green one. She took a deep breath and said,"can't be too bad can it?"

"Expect the unexpected." Annabeth told her.

She put the bean in her mouth.

"Mint toothpaste." She said after a moment.

Jason was a bit apprehensive, but he selected a red one and took the dive. "Orange," He proclaimed, relief audible in his voice. Percy groaned.

Nico when next. His eyes widened and he choked, then straightened with effort. He seemed reluctant to announce what he ate.

"What is it?" Frank asked, mildly concerned.

"Yeah, Nico. Spit it out!" Thalia said.

Nico grimaced."Vomit," He managed. That was a little to much for Percy and Thalia. They howled with laughter, drowning out everyone else. Even Luna to look up from her magazine.

"Spit…it out," Thalia managed between gasps."Vomit." That sent another wave of laughter.

Finally, they calmed down enough for Reyna. She picked a pale gold bean and grimaced slightly as she ate."gold," She pronounced.

"For imperial gold," Percy said, just as Thalia crowed,

"I won! Mine's the best! Hahahahaha!"

Frank frowned."When did we make up that rule?"

Percy shrugged.

After that little game ended, they focused on eating everything else. Percy timed it so the released of the chocolate frogs was in sync, and they ended up with some sort of frog tornado and a horribly dissonant Choir of the Croakers. Harry, unable to stand the din, levitated them into the demigod's hands, and Jason bit his frog's head off just to shut it up. He chewed on his frog while staring at the card that had come with it: Wilfred Elphick, who was the first wizard to be gored by an African Erumpent. He showed his card to the others, and that started the game of Best Card.

"'Perpetua Fancourt, who invented the Lunascope.'" Hazel read.

"'Ignatia Wildsmith, who invented Floo powder,'" Annabeth reported.

"'Kelly…'" Frank squinted."How do you even pronounce that?" He demanded.

"What?" Annabeth asked. Frank showed her the card."'Kelly Wha-kkaa-ran-ga-paw-ar-au,'" Annabeth said slowly, pronouncing each syllable carefully."I'm guessing it's Japanese. Beater. Australian World Cup Quidditch Team."

"'Eargit the Ugly; Goblin representative at the fourteenth century summit of Wizards' Council.'" Piper relayed. Then she added,"Ugh. Eargit?" But Jason had already moved on.

"'Grogan Stump, popular Minister of Magic, appointed in 1811.'"

"'Manticore,'" Nico muttered. Jason didn't know much about Nico's history, but Percy had told him of Westover, and how a manticore name Dr. Thorn had disguised himself and attempted to kill Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Nico, and his sister Bianca. Jason couldn't blame him for the expression he was currently wearing."'A rare, dangerous beast, the Manticore has been known to sing softly as it eats its prey. Its sting will kill instantaneously.'" Nico shredded the card and threw it away in disgust.

"'Andros the Invincible, Ancient Greek, alleged to have been the only wizard to produce a Patronus the size of a giant,'" Percy read."Huh. That's interesting. Maybe demigods and wizards aren't so different after all."

"I got Newt Scamander," Thalia said."'Celebrated author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' ect, etc."

Reyna's eyes darkened as she read her's."Oh, this is just cruel irony," She muttered.

"What is it?" Jason asked.

"Circe." Just one word, no more, no less, spoken with bitterness and old anger. It put a damper on the mood, but Ron didn't let that stop him.

"'Archibald Alderton.'" He read, taking a bite off his chocolate amphibian. "'Blew up a hamlet while trying to mix a cake with magic.'"

"I once blew up a volcano in Washington a few years ago," Percy said.

"Really?" Ron asked, amazed.

"Yeah."

"Blimey, that's wicked."

Luna looked up from her magazine, staring at Percy with new interest."That must have been a powerful spell," She said serenely, like she saw mountains exploded every day.

"Er, yeah. Um…"

"Well, this is an awkward position you got us in," Annabeth said."Just another ingenious sentence by Seaweed Brain."

"I'm sorry, OK?"

"Guys." Harry leaned forward."You could trust Luna on this. She fought with you in the battle."

"But it's still your decision," Hermione added."It isn't our place to reveal your secrets."

"Secrets?" Luna asked. Her bulging eyes were unsettling as she stared at them.

"Ok." Piper said with a sigh. "we're not the wizards or witches of your world. We're children of the Greek and Roman gods. I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, Jason is a son of Jupiter, Percy, son of Poseidon, Annabeth, daughter of Athena, Frank, son of Mars, Hazel daughter of Pluto, Nico, son of Hades, Reyna daughter of Bellona, and Thalia, daughter of Zeus. We each have unique powers that cover our godly parents' area of control, such as Percy can control most liquids, Nico can raise bones, or skeletal warriors, the Spartoi, and Jason can summon lightning.

Luna blinked, and her surprised expression became even more pronounced."Oh." She said "That's quite interesting. Are you sure you don't have a wrackspurt floating around in your head?" She fixed her eyes on Percy's.

"What's a wrackspurt?" Frank asked.

"They're invisible creatures. Go through your ears and into your head and make your brain go fuzzy." She swatted at the air as if there was an invisible fly buzzing around.

"Sounds sort of like an eidolon," Annabeth said and noticed the confused faces on the Hogwarts' students faces. "Oh, an eidolon is a possessing spirit. Gaea sent three of them after us on our quest last last year. They made Leo blow up half the forum in New Rome, and the other two took up residence in Percy and Jason."

"That sounds way more intense than a wrackspurt." Ron said.

The rest of their journey passed without great incident, other than a series of loud bangs coming from the compartment in front of them, which turned out to be several students playing exploding snap. They soon found themselves pulling into King's Cross, and pushing their way through the crowd. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were lugging huge trunks. "Lets go find Mum," Ron said.

So they all followed him, looking forward to a summer with worry.

* * *

 **So what do you think? The last part may be inaccurate, since I haven't read Harry Potter in a long time and I don't have a copy at hand. Happy Thanksgiving!**

 **This story took 121 days from start to finish.**


	10. Note

**Hi!, Just to notify you amazing people, this story is complete, and there will be a sequel, coming out if I can get my hands on a copy of _Deathly Hallows._ Special thanks to Icyfox17, for all your support through this entire time.**


End file.
